manon klein
art worker & researcher








OPEN
Curated with  BLBC collective

Exhibition with Marion Balac, Jean-Baptiste Caron, Cyril Debon, Charlotte El Moussaed, Hélène Garcia, Louis Granet, Adrien Guillet, Quentin Lefranc, Léa Mercier, Enzo Mianes, Simon Nicaise, Céline Notheaux, Aldréic Trével
 
T2, Espace collectif 
Paris, France
2016
On the occasion of its inauguration T2 tries to blend into the neighborhood's décor. With its « OPEN » sign inviting visitors to come in, one could easily mistake the place for a pop-up shop. However, on the wall, on the shelves or under the glass counter, beware of expecting to find goodies or designer clothing. In this deliberately ambiguous universe, postcards, scarves, and yes, even the fire extinguisher, are works of art. 

The exhibition underlines the penchant of young contemporary creation for working around everyday and popular forms. An approach that could be explained by the desire to see art "come out of its sacred enclosure and reintroduce itself into the realm of ordinary life, where it would serve as a guide, a model and a stimulus for constructive reform ».* The artists presented thus question the status of the artwork, its inspiration, aspirations and value. They hijack famous images from art history, evoke the souvenir artifact, they create multiples or even sometimes deploy different copies of the same work as if to better remind us that it is a product. We are facing a gang stripped of the need for uniqueness, of an unconflicted generation, adapting to contemporary modes of distribution and playing with the rules of marketing. 

« OPEN » offers a total immersion, undisciplined but built to stimulate the visitor. Inside, everything, from labels to the presence of a « vendor », incites us to buy. Yet nothing will be sold on the spot: this is a space for meetings and exchanges rather than consumption bringing together cultural goods around a common imaginary. Impromptu performances also oblige visitors to speak up, to give his or her point of view, to question himself about the works that are offered to his sight.

* SHUSTERMAN Richard, L’Art à l’état vif : la pensée pragmatique et l’esthétique populaire, Paris, Les Editions de Minuit, 1991, p.41.

   




manon klein