frenchnesssquared
A break in S France - Marseille was as ever wonderful - checked out the 3 main art spaces on Friday with soup d Poisson at my favorite place down by the docks in between. The Musem is such a gloriously brutal yet liminal space with a rooftop bar to die for. I had never heard of Abd el-Kader but his role within the history of Algiers and Frances relationship with Arabic Nations was being rethought and represented in a more positive light, possibility part of France's attempt at the decolonization of collections.The Frac had an acutely observed show of work by Catherine Melin. I loved the video of children playing within their own worlds and the inflating and deflating of bags used for the transportation of textiles in markets talked of migration and homelessness in such a moving way. The Fric, possibly one of my favorite art spaces had a highly considered and solid show about mimicry - stand outs include the dark yet humerus Grey Area - videos of a person creatively hiding in office spaces by Sofia Hulten. It started out funny then all I could think about were mass shootings and terrorism. Then there was the tremendous phasmides by Daniel Steegman - a video involving 'stick insects'. I remember as a child buying these in a pet shop and playing with them at home - in the shop it was always interesting to try and spot them in the tank stick-yes-no-yes-no-insect-no-yes-stick! Getting down to Valence on the TGV is a reminder of the joys of travel and the physical connectedness of Europe. The train was beautifully designed, clean, neat, on time and going onto to Luxembourg! The latest show at imprints of Tilman Hoepfl is at one in the space, the work, shadows and walls becoming one and evolving as the light animated the space throughout the day. There is a fabulous exhibition of photography at the art center in Crest with beautiful hand tinted prints from the 1890s that evoke a sense of timeless. This is compounded because of its context because I approached the show after spending the morning in the market, an experience that is SO French it's difficult to comprehend or explain. The wall of cheese smell is almost physical, fruit and veg so fresh and the community bonding through the love of quality good food is intoxicating. Sunday was a busy day - French flea market, clearing a friends house, cycling to a gig up a mountain to see cow bones (a band) - Billy Childish meets Art Brute infused with industrial noise wearing hand made/stitched masks - most excellent. In the mountains on the way down with the skies evolving around us from the usual deep blue in the valley was an astounding experience. All that was left of the day was to eat barbecue ribs and drink. Next day the fresh sheets of mini ravioli and asparagus for lunch before unraveling the journey back - TGV, bus, plane and car was a reminder to return.
