Biographical forms – group exhibition
Any biography is a construction. In some sixty works of every type (painting, photograph, sculpture, drawing, film, assemblage…), the exhibition looks into biography as a constructive model as it is brought to bear in artistic activity based on (documentary or fictional) elements.
Biography is generally viewed as an individual’s personal history: it tells their story. The artist’s biography is one of the forms used by art history ever since Vasari. But biography is also a material crafted by artists themselves: either because theirartistic activity is one aspect of a biographical, subjective and intersubjective construction, or when their work elaborates on biographical elements. Personal mythology is a productive register for biographical invention, first practised by Gérard de Nerval in his extraordinary graphic fabrications Généalogie fantastique of1841 and “Je suis l’autre” in 1854.
Whether involved in the search for historical truth or invention, biography is a construction. Biographical elements have a discontinuous, fragmentary quality to match that typical process of modern art, the collage, with its alternative, the montage, and its extensions, the assemblage, the environment (or decor).
The first part of the exhibition went on show in 2013-2014 at the Queen Sofía Modern Art Museum in Madrid. The Carré d’Art-Musée d’art contemporain exhibition focusses on the current period, bringing together works mostly produced since the late fifties. A large proportion of these works are on show for the first time, or have not been seen before in France.
All this research is covered in a book/catalogue (400 pages, 160 colour reproductions), published jointly by Carré d’Art-Musée d’art contemporain and Editions Hazan. In it, Jean-François Chevrier tells the story of Biographical forms in modern art up to the present day, along with context and reproductions of all the works featured in the Carré d’Art show.
List of artists in the show: Chantal Akerman, Carl Andre, Madeleine Bernardin Sabri, Laure Bréaud, Marcel Broodthaers, Lygia Clark, André du Colombier, Étienne-Martin, VALIE EXPORT, Robert Filliou, Florian Fouché, Peter Friedl, Philip Guston/Clark Coolidge, Martin Honert, Edward Krasinski/Eustachy Kossakowski, David Lamelas, Antonios Loupassis, Kerry James Marshall, Santu Mofokeng, Gérard de Nerval, Henrik Olesen, Marc Pataut, Sigmar Polke, Dieter Roth, Ahlam Shibli, Anne-Marie Schneider, Thomas Schütte, Claire Tenu
Curator: Jean-François Chevrier, assisted by Élia Pijollet
Photo:
title: J’AI PERDU LA FIN!!!, 1969
item type: black and white negative 6×6 cm
photographer: Eustachy Kossakowski
date: 1969
people: Edward Krasiński
subject: Edward Krasinski ”J’AI PERDU LA FIN!!!”
keywords: Edward Krasinski, J\’ai perdu la fin, cables
© Anka Ptaszkowska