For the 7th year, Guerlain offers a Contemporary Art itinerary. As part of the Fiac’s private itinerary, the exhibition highlights both established and emerging artists, all of whom have an avant-garde approach.
Jeff Koons, Pierre et Gilles, Sophie Calle, Wang Du, Louise Bourgeois and many others have played the game in previous editions.
With diverse themes such as Un plébiscite effronté, De l’autre côté du miroir, Qu’importe le flacon pourvu que l’on ait l’ivresse, … The brand seeks to reveal the unspeakable. In 2012, the stakes are as high as the times: Présomption d’insouciance. What a challenge! Perceived in all its ambiguity, it reveals bittersweet accents… Caroline Messensee, in charge of curating the exhibition, has brought out the subtle nuances. 16 artists, 16 works, to be discovered with attention. Some pieces have been designed specifically for the event.
Presumption of carefreeness, presumption of innocence, like a right to lightness of Being. Pressure from outside, self-censorship, insouciance seems to be a lost freedom, or at least one that’s difficult to maintain. Can we pride ourselves on being carefree in the face of current events? Can we remain so? And, against all odds, isn’t this posture fraught with danger?
A number of tracks initiated by the artists help to refine the approach. Claude L’Evêque’s Riez (2012) seems to be a challenge to the visitor. And if you still can, Laugh!
The injunction, quick to engender catharsis, seems to denounce the lack of spontaneity, the lack of… Carelessness? It also serves as a reminder of the extent to which the individual is a prisoner of context, with his or her perception truncated.
Dominique Ghesquière’s Balcon (2010) is an optical illusion. In a capsizing of forms, an almost Gaudian destructuring, the artist speaks of insecurity. Her almost decaying balcony oscillates between playfulness and questioning. Neoprene lends itself to the idea. The balcony, deprived of its substrate and functionality, becomes a chimera. 
Aya Katano has drawn two evanescent figures. Between mangas and disembodied silhouettes, they ‘float’ towards an unknown elsewhere. A place where insouciance could be lived in total delight? Delicate brushstrokes, delicate colors, the drawing is multi-faceted.
Brigitte Zieger’s make-up photography hints at another world. Taken from her series Women are different from men (2012), the image shows a woman whose features are intrinsically feminine, but who is harnessed and accessorized like a man. Rifle on shoulder, cowboy hat… Covered in make-up and sequins by the artist, almost powdered, the test is adorned with a femininity of transgression. The result is a kind of unconscious femininity.
Michel Blazy’s non-stabilized Bonbons, Galets mous (2003), leave us with a taste of other flavors, those of childhood, utopia and its hopes.
Julien Berthier’s work is to be thoroughly enjoyed. Constructive and hilarious, it demonstrates the value of a different vision. His video, Love, love 3 (2007), presents an experimental ship. Its beached craft has been redesigned and optimized. Quasi-realistic, it offers its driver serenity and insouciance against all odds.
This cleverly conceived Love Love seems to defy the morose. Its navigator, braving the laws of weightlessness and the incongruity of his sailboat, ignores adversity. Does it capture all the defiance in his attitude?
J. M. Othoniel, Pierre et Gilles, Hsia-Fei Chang and many others are full of interesting surprises. From object to object, the contradictions of the human being and his microcosm are revealed, sometimes with violence.
Art is all about perception. Why not take inspiration from this, and turn commonplace ideas on their head to initiate something new.
Guerlain
68 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
www.guerlain.com
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
