CAPITALE(S): 60 years of Urban Art in Paris
Organized by the City of Paris, this fascinating exhibition provides a rich overview of this movement and the importance of the Parisian scene in its development.
At last! We're still wondering how such an important movement in the history of art, which has been going on for 60 years and is constantly renewing itself, can be so ignored by French institutions and other pseudo-experts of contemporary art? Because that's what it's all about! Urban art is a major component of contemporary art, whether some people like it or not. So thank you to the City of Paris and the four curators - Magda Danysz, Elise Herszkowicz, Nicolas Laugero Lasserre and Marko 93 - who have delivered a breathtaking retrospective exhibition, telling a fascinating story that continues to be written before our very eyes, particularly in Paris, one of the most important scenes of a globalized movement. With works by over 70 artists, archival documents, in situ creations and city-wide off-the-wall creations, this exhibition is sure to thrill both the informed and the simply curious, as they witness so many revolutions and evolutions, and measure the impact of an art form with multiple expressions that disturbs, questions, surprises and seduces, but is always in tune with the times. A free exhibition for all, whether initiated or neophyte, to see and revisit, as Magda Danysz invites us to do.
How did this exhibition come about?
Magda Danysz: It's a long-standing project of the City of Paris to pay tribute to this practice.
How were the roles divided between the four curators?
MD: As urban art is quite a broad field, which is both an opportunity and a "handicap", as some institutions find it difficult to fully grasp the subject, the City wanted several curators to deal with its different facets. Elise Herszkowicz is in charge of outdoor walls, as this is her day-to-day remit, programming the wall of the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin in particular; Nicolas Laugero Lasserre is in charge of the stage, a very Parisian component, most recently with the Tunnel des Tuileries, a nod to history, as urban practice began on the banks of the Seine; Marko 93 is in charge of the imprint in the Greater Paris area, as Street Art is also linked to the suburbs; and I'm in charge of the indoor exhibitions.
How did you go about choosing the artists and works?
MD: It was very difficult! Firstly, because every exhibition is a constraint, in terms of budget, available square meters... This led us to an extremely arduous "editorial" choice. All the more so because the town's request, which was very clear from the outset, forced us to make a big difference between the insiders, for whom every detail counts, and the school teacher, who has 35 minutes to visit the exhibition with her pupils. We had to be both accurate and to the point, with the scientific rigor of a museum, and at the same time ultra didactic to speak to all audiences, as the exhibitions organized by the City of Paris are free and open to the greatest number, including schoolchildren. Beyond these constraints, I found the exercise particularly difficult. How do you tell the story of 60 years of a movement of such madcap richness, still working Progress, with artists' approaches enriched every day? Which artists to present? How to talk about them? What period of their work should be highlighted, particularly for those who began in the 80s, most of whom are still working and have developed their practice?... Endless debates... and difficult choices to ensure that the whole tells the brilliant story of Urban Art which, since it first appeared in Paris, has never known any interruption, even during the "maquis" period at the end of the 90s, with the systematic and muscular intervention of the police. As soon as visitors enter the exhibition, we invite them to take to the streets to discover the works of the many artists whose work we were unable to present.
In what way did Paris play an important role in the emergence of this movement?
MD : Firstly, because the movement, which is specifically Parisian, had a very strong and profound start in the 60s and 70s, notably with Villeglé, Zlotykamien and then stencil artists such as Miss Tic and Captain Fluo - some of whose work has been found - even before the arrival of graffiti in the 80s. Paris also has an extremely lively and uninterrupted art scene, with its many revolutions and evolutions, and a rich heritage that has attracted artists raised and nurtured in Paris, as well as foreign artists. We often forget that Paris is a "small" city compared to London, for example, and that it therefore offers a visual, artistic and creative density that's quite insane! However, in the 80s, several European cities such as Amsterdam and Bologna took an interest in graffiti, becoming a haven for artists who began to travel. Some organized major exhibitions, and some museums bought works from the American pioneers. This nurtured a whole culture that really "took off" in Paris, because the movement, which could have died many deaths, always regenerated and renewed itself.
To what do you attribute these revivals?
MD: First and foremost, to a basic principle key to Hip Hop and graffiti culture: you can't do the same thing as your neighbor. A rather effective principle in terms of mental hygiene! Secondly, exogenous factors. At the end of the '80s, the whole world was ablaze with aerosol, and a vast field of experimentation had been covered. At the beginning of the 90s, in many countries, including France, it was total guerrilla warfare: the authorities erased, imprisoned... something we couldn't ignore in the exhibition, and which led to a real tug-of-war! Paradoxically, in response to this repression, practices other than aerosol developed, such as collage and stickers. The '90s were therefore rich in experimentation, with each generation developing new practices. This explains why the movement, constantly regenerating itself, is still very much alive, writing new chapters while belonging to the same culture. And this "belonging" has been built outside of institutions and traditional legitimization! A whole community has supported this movement which, for the first time in the history of art and in real time, is also global. And it's not just linked to globalization or the Internet, since it started long before that!
Over the past 60 years, what have been the major milestones in Urban Art in the capital?
MD: We had to think long and hard before putting together the exhibition, in order to select the most significant milestones... In the first part, we present French Urban Art before the 80s, right up to the stencil artists. Villeglé, with his sense of humor, wrote a socio-political text for the exhibition, which can be seen at the entrance. Then, symbolically, the arrival of Bando in '82 and the development of graffiti in Paris up to the end of the '80s, from Stalingrad to Louvre-Rivoli, with a 1h30 loop of INA archives. The third part, which I call "De l'Ombre à la lumière" ("From Shadow to Light"), deals with a form of legitimization that began in the early 90s, with the first exhibitions at agnès b., the one at the Palais de Chaillot pushed by Jack Lang and much decried at the time, the first institutional exhibition... In fact, I opened my own gallery in 91, spurred on by this desire on the part of artists to exhibit. These years also saw the advent of more conceptual practices, such as those of Zeus, André and Space Invader. In fact, Invader gave us a huge gift with a map of his 1,490 invasions of Paris on a 6 x 4-metre wall... never seen before! The final section is devoted to the work of new generations since the 2000s. It shows the extent to which Paris has been a center of interest for both global stars like Banksy, Swoon, Obey, JR... and the then emerging talents with hypra-varied styles, from the very graphic - L'Atlas, Tank, eL Seed... - to the more figurative - Madame, Kashink. We end with an exquisite cadaver of works linked together by an installation by Sébastien Preschoux that revives optico-kinetic art. Extremely rich, this section demonstrates the extent to which the movement has infused many different practices. Last but not least, the exhibition continues outdoors throughout the 5 months with the creation of walls.
So you're leaving room for younger talents?
MD: Absolutely, to demonstrate that in Street Art, practices don't follow one another, they add up. We wanted to avoid this pitfall by adopting a chronological approach.
Are there any exciting discoveries to be made?
MD: Yes! For example, we're presenting one of Jef AĂ©rosol's first stencils, as well as his ticket to the Clash concert where he first saw Futura live on stage. The exhibition offers several levels of interpretation: a chronological tour for the general public, and goodies for the super insiders! The exhibition is made up of one third "museum" works, and I'd like to thank the collectors for their loans; one third in situ works, with some thirty artists creating pieces for the occasion; and one third documents. Thanks to Arcanes, a research fund on Urban Art endorsed by the French Ministry of Culture, we've been able to bring out photos that are rarely seen, and reports that had been overlooked...
How did you work with the artists?
MD: We presented the exhibition to them as a duty of transmission. We worked with them in a spirit of sharing, because we all really want this story to be told... trying to put egos aside. And I have to confess that, with a few exceptions - which isn't easy in this movement - most of them opened their doors, their address books, their archives...! This history, which is still largely oral, must not disappear with its main protagonists. Sharing it is not normally the job of artists, but of curators and art historians. In fact, there are a few little winks in the exhibition towards certain neighboring institutions..., notably Pompidou, where this exhibition should be taking place [laughs]. In fact, I'm delighted that the City of Paris is hosting this exhibition, a wonderful gift to Parisians that makes sense, free and open to all, especially schoolchildren.
What's the state of Urban Art today?
MD: There's some good, with a real respect from the younger generation for the older, like the New York duo Faile, who I introduced to Villeglé, and some not so good. The movement is quite dense, with many players, even if there are sometimes a few quarrels, which sometimes makes things difficult to read from the outside. Today, moreover, the Parisian scene is recognized for the important documentation work that has been carried out, whether through exhibitions, publications... and which continues as several documentaries are in preparation. Above all, there is a love of Paris on the part of the artists, a Parisian madeleine de Proust for some. You should hear Futura recount the first time he bit into a buttered baguette! However, I'm not sure that Paris is fully recognized by the general public, who don't realize the density and richness of the walls in the capital, even if there is an inequality of territory, notably the east/west divide. Hence the importance of the outdoor component of the exhibition. An application is also in preparation...
What is your vision of Urban Art today?
MD: So far, so good [laughs]. A lot of things haven't been said, done or even shouted about. There's always a new talent emerging, with work that "slaps us in the face" and makes sense in contemporary society. I was lucky enough to meet Shepard Fairey before he was famous and to exhibit his work, then JR before he exploded, Vhils and, in recent years, Felipe Pantone! That doesn't happen so often in the life of a gallery owner! As long as the movement is in tune with the times, it continues to grow.
Does the distinction between Urban Art and contemporary art still make sense?
MD: I've never made the distinction, and that's even why I opened my gallery... which is not an Urban Art gallery. For historical reasons and to preserve the practice, it's obviously necessary to historicize it. Nevertheless, Urban Art is contemporary art! Who better than Felipe Pantone is in tune with the times, the new generation, the way of communicating... which are all part of his work? And Space Invader before him, by appropriating the pixel mosaic in the 90s, or more recently by launching FlashInvaders, a work of art and not just a simple application! These artists are pushing back the boundaries of contemporary art. I'm having this debate with Laurent Le Bon, President of the Centre Pompidou, who recognizes the importance of movement, the need to talk about it and to remove the blinkers from museums so that they integrate these works into their collections, their exhibitions..., but who stresses that entering a museum raises real questions: about meaning, about shifting the museum's vision from a deontological point of view... How can our institutions respond to the mobility of this art? It's not easy... However, for others like me, it's become a battle, not least because art history repeats itself!
Do you think this will change?
MD: I hope so... but I don't know if we'll still be here to see it [laughs]. Pompidou is one of the most open institutions. The Palais de Tokyo, thanks to the hard work of Hugo Vitrani, already hosts works of Urban Art... A subtle acceptance, even though it's obvious to the public!
SEE
"CAPITALE(S), 60 ans d'art urbain Ă Paris"
October 15, 2022 to February 11, 2023
HĂ´tel de Ville de Paris
Salle Saint-Jean
Edited by Magda Danysz, the 240-page book accompanying the exhibition is published by Alternatives for €29.90.
