MIRAGES XLVIIII

Looking at Kimsooja’s artwork from the exhibition “Persona grata” at the Museums: Le Musée d’art contemporain du Val-de-Marne and le Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration, in Paris, a big group exhibition dealing with the issue of Immigration, in a different way than the past, I was thinking that the very same issue was dealt at the beginning of the 1990s under the guise of Multiculturalism and Globalization and what extensions it has taken today. Among the participating artist of the exhibition are: Bouchra Khalili, Kimsooja, Mona Hatoum, three artists from the Planet’s Periphery, but is notable that they do not live or work in the Periphery but in the Center. The exhibition lasts until 20/1/19, and really those who are in Paris are worth visiting (!)

Semiologically Kimsooja’s work incorporates multiple readings. After Fiac 2018 in Paris calls to my mind the art-world, including me, that is moving from Fair to Fair and from city to city: from Basel to London, from London to Paris, from Paris to Miami and so on… to be in the center of the events, to monitor, to sell, to use, to know and to be present and at the end … to become part of the whole festive dance. At the same time, perhaps in the brightest and most colorful way, it shows that the Metropolitan Centers are changing and shifting, depending on the socio-economic conditions and the way that the roles are predetermined. Some are leading and some follow, always (!)

After Fiac, follows PARIS PHOTO (8-11/11/18) at Grand Palais, which will close at the end of the year for three years for renovation and repcacement of the roof’s plate glasses. Someone could say that is a routine work. Not exactly (!) The French are ahead of the Olympic Games in 2024. They are standby. The processes had begun five years ago and I was the only one I had ever felt it, joining the puzzle of events and components, the works and the infrastructure works are obvious now. Five years ago I predicted that after Berlin, the new Metropolitan Center of Europe will be Paris and almost none then could believe it. Everyone had a look at Athens and Documenta 14, expecting the unexpected (!) To give it specific expression, they can’t change much in a city that does not have a strong institutional cultural framework. On the contrary, Paris, which someone can support that it has always been Art Center, and we will not disagree, just except from Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo, Jeu de Paume and perhaps some great international-level Gallery had not been connected in recent years with the international web of contemporary art, to the point where artists, works and exhibitions that we had seen in Greece before 2004 can be seen in Paris 5 years ago, as an example of Maurizio Cattelan’s exhibition at Monais des Paris.

On the other hand, Fiac has changed profile rapidly, and three years ago it has significantly internationalized (!) In order to be more precise, there are big international Gallery, which hold a prominent place every year, exactly the same (!) Fiac 2018 was biger than ever (!) Having already open a new section, Fiac Design, just like Art Basel, while for the first time, I came across, Art Basel’s Director, Marc Spiegler, three times. First at the press Preview of Palais de Tokyo (incognito), also at the press previews of Paris Internationale and Fiac with notebook and pen. During Fiac the artworks outside Grand Palais we impressive like “Prometheus” by Theo Triantafyllidis, a live-simulation work that expands on the absurdity of human behavior, presented by Onassis Culture in collaboration with The Breeder Gallery.  Impressive were also the exhibitions in the city’s Museums and Galleries, every exhibition was better than the other. We have distinguished and suggest you: “Tadao Ando. The Challenge” – Centre Pompidou, “Jean-Michel Basquiat” -Fondation Louis Vuitton, “Carte Blanche to Tomás Saraceno ON AIR” – Palais de Tokyo, “Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta” – Jeu de Paume  “Monumental Minimal”, a museum-level exhibition, at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Pantin. “Alberto Burri” -Tornabuoni Art, “Sophie Calle” – Galerie Perrotin, “Christodoulos Panayiotou: Friday, 3rd of February 1525” & “Tatiana Trouve. A Quiet Life” – Galerie kamel mennour, “Yves Zurstrassen” – Xippas Gallery and “Claire Morgan Perpetually at the Centre” at Galerie Karsten Greve also Ryan Gande’s impressive exhibition “Old Languages in very Modern Styles” at gb agency. And then this month… is following a series of exhibitions worldwide…

Good Month (!)
1/11/18
Efi Michalarou