The new capitals of contemporary art
With Luis Belhaouari
Which capital dominates the contemporary art market?
In various ways, Paris, New York, Moscow, Beijing or Dakar occupy prominent places. Around the world, the number of contemporary art fairs is constantly growing. The globalization of the art market alone cannot explain this development. The emergence of a new capital for contemporary art is often the culmination of a complex process. The factors are multiple and sometimes surprising: thus, the artistic contribution is not always the most determining factor... Identity claims, economic opportunities, historical issues, the emancipating role of institutions, gallery owners and collectors... constitute strong development levers. Through specific examples, the conference proposes to contextualize the emergence of each of the capitals mentioned above in order to understand the mechanisms that have enabled their success. And perhaps to glimpse the manufacturing secrets of these new capitals of contemporary art.
Screening
The Square
by Ruben OstMonday
With Adrien Denouehead
Palme d'Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival
SYNOPSIS
Christian is a divorced father who enjoys spending time with his two children. Appreciated curator of a museum of contemporary art, he is also one of those people who drive an electric car and support major humanitarian causes. He is preparing his next exhibition, entitled "The Square", around an installation encouraging visitors to altruism and reminding them of their duty towards their neighbors. But it is sometimes difficult to live in accordance with his values: when Christian has his mobile phone stolen, his reaction does not honor him...
At the same time, the museum's communication agency launched a surprising campaign for The Square: the welcome was totally unexpected and plunged Christian into an existential crisis.
Film critic for various magazines, Adrien Dénouette teaches critical writing at the University of Paris-Diderot, and gives conferences throughout France. In 2020, his first essay, Jim Carrey, America unmasked, was published by Façonnage. He brought it to television the following year in the form of a 52' documentary for Arte, then continued with a documentary on Brad Pitt to be released on October 16 (then available for three months on the Arte online platform ). He is currently completing a new essay on laughter in France, for Façonnage editions.
Event organized in partnership with
The rise of contemporary African art
With Luis Belhaouari
In 2015, a work by Julie Mehretu, an Ethiopian artist, sold for $3.5 million at Christie's... The history of the African Contemporary Art market is a particularly interesting field of research. The secrecy that surrounds most transactions often leads to assumptions. Nevertheless, the study of this booming market leads to raising issues generally left in the shadows of art history: is the Western gaze legitimate in its claim to evaluate contemporary African art? Moreover, and in this period of globalization, is there a specifically African contemporary art? Is this name not the result of a marketing effect? Where does the reputation of an artist from this continent come from? How is its rating produced? What are the criteria for evaluating his work? What place do collectors, gallery owners, museums, etc. occupy in this development work?
In a nutshell: how is the history of art written, and more particularly the history of contemporary African art? Through specific examples, the conference proposes to address all these questions. And perhaps to glimpse some answers to this complex story whose writing is not without ambiguity...
