↳ Exhibitions

Déclassement at Chateau d’Oiron

October 7, 2018

Artists: Béatrice Balcou, Hélène Bertin, Tyler Coburn, Mathis Gasser, Mobilier Peint, Aurélien Mole, Jay Tan, Céline Vaché-Olivieri, France Valliccioni

Exhibition title: Déclassement

Curated by: Barbara Sirieix

Venue: Chateau d’Oiron, Oiron, France

Date: June 23 – September 30, 2018

Photography: all images copyright of Aurélien Mole and courtesy of the artists

The Castle of Oiron is a monument out of the ordinary. A vestige of the Renaissance, it was saved from ruin thanks to its purchase by the State in 1941. Then, at the end of the 1980s, the decision was made to restore it; the project was led by Frederic Didier, chief architect of the historical monuments, in parallel with a commission of contemporary artworks under the artistic direction of Jean-Hubert Martin, the Curios and Mirabilia collection. These events have made the castle an important witness to the era of French cultural institutions after the policy of decentralization. Twenty-five years later, the collection has changed shape and status. Questions about how to conserve and activate this hybrid monument are being raised again.

The exhibition Déclassement engages the Castle of Oiron with a speculative glance towards the future of cultural institutions, as well as to the current protocols for the conservation and enhancement of heritage. It works as a living, collective entity in dialogue with its environment, from the architecture to the collection Curios & Mirabilia.

The artists Béatrice Balcou, Hélène Bertin, Tyler Coburn, Mathis Gasser, Mobilier Peint, Aurélien Mole, Jay Tan, Celine Vaché-Olivieri, France Valliccioni work with objects from the premises—and residue from previous exhibitions—as well as conjure new narratives and frames through which to consider the site. These interventions, which range from conspicuous to near-invisible, occur throughout the castle, creating resonances and dissonances, interpretations and reimaginings of works from the collection and elements of the architecture.

Hélène Bertin, Pedilavium , 2018, Sandstone, jade colored enamel, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Galerie de Portraits: Les écoliers d’Oiron, Christian Boltanski, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Aurélien Mole, Un cabinet d’amateur, 2009-2018, Aluminium, Inkjet print on paper, plexiglas, nails. Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Galerie de Portraits: Les écoliers d’Oiron, Christian Boltanski, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Jay Tan, Do Girls play Civ?, Keanu thu the yrs, Looped gif, 2018, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Céline Vaché-Olivieri, CURTAINS, 2018, Digital print on velvet, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Salle de l’Espace-Temps: Dates Painting, On Kawara ; Sans titre, Stanley Brouwn, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Mathis Gasser, Rouge, 2018, Plastic, wire, papier mache, plaster, acrylic, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (One of the 39 elements of Des emblèmes, by Laurent Joubert, 1993, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Mathis Gasser, Blanc, 2018, Plastic, wire, papier mache, plaster, acrylic, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Mathis Gasser, Bleu, 2018, Plastic, wire, papier mache, plaster, acrylic, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Couloir des Illusions: Carré au sol aux quatre ellipses, bleu by Felice VARINI, 1993, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Hélène Bertin, Joie, 2018, Sandstone, ashes, ammonites, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Aurélien Mole, Un cabinet d’amateur, 2009-2018, Aluminium, Inkjet print on paper, plexiglas, nails, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (One of the 39 elements of Des emblèmes, by Laurent Joubert, 1993, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

France Valliccioni, Lambode (Long after Lawrence Weiner), 2018, Mixed media on wood planks from the castle, reused wood, lichen, thermoformed styroglass, paint., Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

France Valliccioni, Lambode (Long after Lawrence Weiner), 2018, Mixed media on wood planks from the castle, reused wood, lichen, thermoformed styroglass, paint, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Brûlures Solaires by Charles Ross, 1992-1993, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

France Valliccioni, Sans-titre (Confit) , 2018, LCD screen articulated arm support, thermoformed plastic, foams, silicone, impression on PVC, cartboards, tube, string, tape, soil, fragments of water heater cover from Paris Habitat, metal, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

France Valliccioni, Sans-titre (Aux armes de personne), 2018, LCD screen articulated arm support, metal, wood, papier maché, concrete, tinted silicone, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Jay Tan, Do Girls play Civ?, 2018, Looped gif, various leftovers from the castle grounds (Salle d’Armes : Les corps en morceaux, Daniel Spoerri, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Jay Tan, Do Girls Play Civ: Honeybois, 2018, Looped gif, various leftovers from the castle grounds, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Salle d’Armes : Les corps en morceaux, Daniel Spoerri, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Jay Tan, Do Girls Play Civ: Dream Lover, Looped gif, various leftovers from the castle grounds, 2018, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Salle d’Armes : Les corps en morceaux, Daniel Spoerri, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Mobilier Peint (Flora Moscovici & Yoan Sorin), Peintures d’apparat , 2018, Painted decorative elements from the castle’s inventory, building material, various objects, acrylic, bomb, casein and oil paints, lacquer, glaze, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Chambre du Roi : Salle des plattes peintures, Claude Rutault, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

Jay Tan, Do Girls Play Civ: Moonsinger, Looped gif, various leftovers from the castle grounds, 2018, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Tyler Coburn, Tratteggio, 2018, Performance, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Tyler Coburn, Inherent Vice, 2018, Concrete, sand, stone, water, pigment, epoxy, gold paint, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Tyler Coburn, In Perpetuity, 2018, Concrete, sand, stone, water, gold paint, bacterial healing agent, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN

Céline Vaché Olivieri, BLOCKS, 2018, Vegetal oils, soda, ashes, charcoil, paper, metal, plastics, biominerals, minerals, wood, 24 elements, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Tour des Ondes : Alebrije, Famille Linares, FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)

France Valliccioni, Droit à l’oubli, 2018, Vacuum cleaner, flowers, Exhibition Déclassement, production château d’Oiron, CMN (Salle de la Lévitation : Decentre-Acentre, Tom Shannon, Public Commission-FNAC inv., CNAP collection on permanent loan in château d’Oiron, CMN)