Hi! I missed you.
It will be a while before I have time to write all about the last three-ish weeks away, so I’m sharing this little bit in the meantime. Enjoy :)
I engaged with many exhibitions and performances of creativity in Paris. Here I briefly review only a few; some of the more structured exhibits and galleries. Hopefully I’ll write more soon about the art that pumps through the city’s pipes, the kind you walk into without even knowing. Find more photos from these visits on my instagram.
RARE GALLERY
On the first night in Paris we were summoned into a discreet gallery opening taking place in the courtyard of a residential building. The artist was a short man with round glasses, an all black outfit, and a black fitted beanie to match. His name is Wilson Claude Balda. He handed me one champagne bottle and told me to pop it open. Another student took the other. We drank his wine, mingled, and signed the guest book. He gave us his business card and I took a copy of the latest issue of his magazine. He assured us that this is “what life in Paris is like,” among many other amusing assertions about the city and our places in it.
PALAIS DE TOKYO
I did not expect to be as moved at this first museum as I was. We first perused the exhibit Dislocations and I was floored by Ali Arkady’s work, pictured below
Afterward we were free to roam the other exhibits and I spent most of my time in the one titled Past Disquiet, a large display of art and media that came out/pushed toward global revolutions. I was was dizzy with emotion while walking through this exhibit, often having to pound my chest with my fist to relieve the choked tears.
INSTITUT DU MOND ARABE
The exhibit Arabofuturs was very cool, and I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy most of the science-fiction artwork which is not usually my taste.
FIN DE PARTIE starring Denis Lavant
If you don’t already know (as I didn’t), the fact that Denis Lavant is performing in a Samuel Beckett play, and that it is this particular play, is an incredible occurence. I don’t know why this is on a deep enough level to explain it, so if you do please share in the comments.
Despite it being entirely in French, the show was a spectacular experience. Lavant is known for his expressive movement and while I am much more a fan of subtle action I was certainly enthralled by his creative use of his body and muscle. Overall, the french theatre experience was very interesting and I spent much of my time observing the habits of other audience members, especially those toward the front who seemed as if they were born to sit in those seats.
CENTRE POMPIDOU
This was the most magnificent museum I have ever been in. We began by walking through the fifth and fourth floor which each had hours-worth of modern and contemporary artwork from their permanent collection and temporarily exhibited artists. The fourth floor was inexplicably my favorite. Each exhibit was an entirely new world but also ferociously intertwined with its neighbors. Each art piece forced me to take a long look in the metaphorical mirror.
There were two gifts shops and a wonderful photography exhibit in the basement. We were there for multiple hours and did not even cover half of the entire museum.
I left Paris with a bucket of inspiration squeezed into my carry-on. It is an experimental city. One that is appreciative of the academy but not indebted to it. Their God is performance and mixed media is their Jesus. Of course, I was only there nineteen days so I could be all wrong. Either way, my art is changing because of it.