Review of Contemporary Art In Paris Vol.1

On every Thursday 16.00-19.00 I'm taking lesson around Paris. Literally- on the streets, and the galleries within the city. On the first day, we went to five galleries around Belleville, which is an area I have yet to discover. Frankly speaking, without Timothy's (course tutor) guide, I would not have found out these hidden places by myself. I am only going to record what I find interesting and memorable. 

The exhibition Villa Surprise by Charlotte Moth at Galerie Marcelle Alix. I was not impressed by the photography showed there, because I cannot read the message Moth was trying to deliver through the image, besides, aesthetically, I think they can be done by an average photographer.  I am interested in the short films Study for a 16mm film, and Unexpected Lights and Colours (a Sculpture Made to be Filmed). In these two short films, I again, have absolutely no idea what Moth is trying to convey. But it was a very pure way of showing unexpected images without any distraction, such as the sound of a projector, narrative, or background music. I like the way she uses light so subtly that it flows with the simple movements in the shot. 

We were lucky enough to have Patrice Joly- one of the curators of the exhibition Circumrévolutions at the Carré de Baudoin to explain his perspective. He wanted to present the concept of the infinity of political and physical revolution throughout past and present. Various artists come to realised this concept through wall of posters, installations, short films, or graphic images. There is an on-going project, called Jardin révolutionnaire avec moins de couleurs et plus de fleurs, 2010, by Alexandre Périgot. How it interacts with the present is that whenever there is a revolution in the world, the artist would take out one of his flowers from the vase, and add a new carpet instead. (this is how I understood from Patrice, but it seems to be contradicting with the title of the work...) I actually have doubts in this art work. I think the idea makes sense, but there are simply too many holes in the art work that does not make it as profound as it could be. Side notes: Mai 1968 en France- it began as a long series of student strikes then evolved into the first wildcat general strike in France ever. It brought the economy of an advanced industrial country to a virtual standstill. Without it, France will never be the same France we see today.

Lastly, SHANAYNAY PARIS is a small art space which is very artsy and open to public. Artsy in a way that each work has significance behind it, but it's a confusing at the same time. Open in a way that I even checked out a book from the library without leaving my contacts. I guess, we all have hopes that world is better place than we imagined.  Besides the art work in the galleries, I often pay attention to the funny things on the street; whether they are obvious or not. Those are the moments that made you smile, and believe that art is everywhere.