Lyon-based artist collective and residence, Taverne Gutenberg is presenting its first outdoor exhibition ‘The New Figurations’ (‘Les Figurations Nouvelles‘) at 59 Rivoli, Paris, one of the most unusual art spaces in Paris. From March 30 to April 10, 2017, 59 Rivoli will welcome nine talented resident artists from the Lyon-based art association: Agrume, Jim Céladon, Mathilde Corbet, Clément Garnung, Abdoul Kadre Seck, Henri Lamy, Mauricio Oliveira, Dorothée Richard and V2M.
The exhibition is directly inspired by the New Figuration movement, an artistic movement that originated in Europe and America in the 1960s advocating the revival of figurative art following a period largely dominated by abstract art. Reexamining the original ideas behind the New Figuration Movement, the Taverne Gutenberg exhibition postulates that representation of reality is always capable of evolution. The exhibition is also a return to the roots of sorts for Taverne Gutenberg’s president, Henri Lamy, who began his artistic career as a resident artist at 59 Rivoli in 2011.
By showcasing creations and art that are accessible to all, The New Figurations exhibition advocates an exploration of possibilities similar to the hybrid places that these artists reside. The period of uncertainty that we all find ourselves in is a fertile breeding ground for art capable of expressing itself in a multitude of forms. The general idea is more ideological than political and comes from a desire to defend creation in the face of a society that is becoming increasingly immobile. A figurative and narrative renewal is all the more pertinent for the continuity of struggle, an ideal long defended by the artists of the New Figuration movement.
The works exhibited are ripe with a certain artistic and cultural syncretism as they translate simple ideas, societal fantasies, everyday utopias and transient fears in a deeply personal manner in their work. French art critic Michel Ragon who is said to have coined the name ‘Nouvelle Figuration’ in 1961, spoke of the movement, “It has a taste for the fantastic, the fantasy, the grotesque. It loves the mask more than the portrait, the travesty more than the evening dress. It is often cruel. It accuses, points its finger with insistence”. The exhibition strives to continue this thought, adapting it subtly to the contemporary realities of the human condition.
‘Les Nouvelles Figurations‘ (‘The New Figurations’) is at 59 Rivoli, Paris from March 30, 2017 to April 10, 2017. Public vernissage is on March 30, 2017, from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm, with a performance ‘Capoeira Painting’. Free entry.
March 30, 2017 to April 10, 2017
At 59 Rivoli
The New Figurations at 59 Rivoli
Lyon-based artist collective Taverne Gutenberg presents its first outdoor exhibition, Les Figurations Nouvelles (The New Figurations) at 59 Rivoli, Paris. Featuring nine of its resident artists, the exhibition is inspired by the New Figuration artistic movement that originated in Europe and Americas during the 1960s and advocated a revival of figuration after a period dominated by abstraction.
