Works from the Frac Ile-de-France collection
Gérard Béringer, Etienne Bossut, Julien Carreyn, Serge Clément, François Curlet, Konrad Dedobbeleer, Sylvie Fajfrowska, Michel François, Diego Giacometti, Lucien Hervé, Fabrice Hyber, Jiri Kovanda, Bertrand Lavier, Esko Männikkö, Rita McBride, Corinne Mercadier, Bernard Voïta
To mark the opening of the second building of the new Hôtel de la Région Île-de-France (regional council headquarters or seat), the Frac Île-de-France is exhibiting an outstanding set of works from its collection.
Combining experienced or even historical artists with young creators, representative of the new generation, the project interprets the specific presentation context literally to determine the selection of works: Nouveau siège! Is an exhibition consisting exclusively of works directly referring to the notion of seat in terms of both headquarters and chair.
In view of this clearly humorous perspective, a first set of pieces that are clearly identifiable as armchairs is spread across the two levels of the new Hôtel de Région
A second set, composed of paintings and photographs where various figures ‘preside’ – de facto integrating this notion of seat although not depicting another series of chairs and armchairs–, is exhibited on various walls on the same two levels.
Beyond the explicit play on words between the venue and the nature of the proposed pieces, the exhibition examines the notion of use value in art, a recurring problem if ever there were one in modern and contemporary creation: from what moment can a work of art have a function? When can a creation from the field of design be considered as being a work of art?
From Fabrice Hyber to Diego Giacometti, including Étienne Bossut, Bertrand Lavier and Rita McBride, various answers are offered here by artists who, in more ways than one and in a playful spirit, literally ‘sit’ in the new Hôtel de Région.
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Conseil régional d’Île-de-France
2 rue Simone Veil
93400 Saint-Ouen