Fondation Cartier pour l`art contemporain

May 15 › Oct. 21, 2012
Histoires de voir
Show and Tell
Selected Narratives
Ariel Kuaray Poty Ortega
On view from May 15 to October 21, 2012,
the exhibition Histoires de voir: Show and Tell
presents the works and narratives of over
40 painters, sculptors and filmmakers from
around the world. They are Brazilian, Indian, Congolese, as well as Haitian, Mexican, Danish, Japanese and American. They
hail from the urban centers of Paris and
Port-au-Prince, or the rural communities of
the Amazon and Madya Pradesh. They
emerged as artists and developed their talents in uncommon circumstances; they have
often been considered as naïve artists and
have rarely been invited to exhibit their
works in contemporary art institutions.
From Another Angle
Born in 1985 in the indigenous Guarani village
of Tamandua in Argentina, Ariel Ortega has
always dreamed of studying film. He currently
resides in Brazil where, under the auspices of
Video nas aldeais — an organization that provides
indigenous peoples with video equipment and
technical training — he is able to make films
with and for his community. Ariel Ortega follows the daily life of the Mbya Guarani, making
a realistic portrait of his community. Each film
provides an opportunity for the members of his
community to discuss negative stereotypes,
combat prejudice and contest “official” history.
By focusing the camera on his community,
Ariel Ortega turns the tables and cinematic expression becomes a way to affirm and protect
an identity and a culture.
Show and Tell arose from a desire to explore the
meaning of the terms “naïve”, “primitive” and
“self-taught” art, to meet artists who pursue
paths outside the norm of conventional visual
codes, and to examine the relationships between
contemporary art and folk art, artist and artisan.
This exhibition strives to free up the eye, to view
from another angle, to give voice to artists and
communities of artists who look upon the world
with wonder. It is of and by women and men for
whom art “has close ties with the hypersensitivity of
the heart ” and whose works are “living documents,” in the words of Alessandro Mendini, the
Italian architect and designer who curated the
exhibition.
(Detail)
Isabel Mendes da Cunha is 88 years old. She was
born in the Jequitinhonha Valley in the northeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In this
valley, where there are more than 300 women
ceramists to only five men (due to the exodus of
men to the cities during the 1970s) the traditional craft of ceramics is a major means of sustenance. Isabel Mendes da Cunha learned the craft
from her mother, making everyday objects
which were then sold in local markets. Following
the death of her husband and facing competition
from industry, she changed her focus and began
creating large-scale human figures in ceramic.
Isabel Mendes da Cunha has today gained recognition and respect for having so transformed
this local tradition.
The Artists’ Voice
Including over 400 works, accompanied by
videos and texts that provide insight into the
artist’s work, this exhibition reveals the many
correspondences that exist between works
emanating from different geographical regions,
belief systems and cultures. Indeed, despite a
great diversity of styles, they share many common features such as exuberance of color, distortion of scale and perspective, stylization of
form. Equally dominant is the representation of
animals and nature and the importance of the
realm of dreams and the imaginary as a source
of inspiration for the work. Show and Tell celebrates those who venture off the beaten track
in search of new artistic approaches, suggesting
that other forms of contemporary art are indeed
possible. It is testimony to the creative power
of artists for whom painting, filming, drawing,
and sculpting are a way of understanding and
experiencing the world.
Isabel Mendes da Cunha
Virgil and the Ortiz family
Born in 1969, Virgil Ortiz currently lives in
Cochiti Pueblo (New Mexico, USA). The
youngest child of six, he grew up in an environment where the collecting of clay and potterymaking were part of everyday life. In 2011, he
asked four generations of the Ortiz family potters to create the original series Vertigo, which
comprises 21 pieces. In the Vertigo series, Virgil
Ortiz and his family recreate a series of Cochiti
pottery figures depicted in a 1885 photograph
by Ben Wittick : “I felt it was my destiny to protect
the tradition of these standing Cochiti figures. […]
What I want to do is to continue the chain, to pass on
the knowledge to the next generation and to keep the
tradition alive.”
(Detail)
Sibrun Rosier
and Jean-Baptiste Jean Joseph
In Haiti at ceremonies dedicated to Voodoo
gods, Voodoo initiates carry flags that bear the
distinctive symbols called vèvès of the gods or Iwas
to whom they are consecrated. These flags are
interest for a wide variety of techniques including sand drawings, watercolors and calligraphy.
He moved to France in 1978 and after working
in a number of fields he became a night watchman in 2001. In order to keep himself awake
during his long nights working, he began to
make highly detailed drawings of cities using
postcards as his point of departure. Inspired by
real urban landscapes as well as his imagination,
the cities of Mamadou Cissé are viewed from
above, revealing their movement, vitality and
density. His drawings also reflect his concern for
urban planning and the optimization of land
use. “I see cities from above, I find them well-designed.
an important part of the religious culture and the
artistic traditions of the Haitian people. The flags
presented in the exhibition were made by the
Voodoo priests Sibrun Rosier and Jean-Baptiste
Jean Joseph. Adorned with thousands of glittering sequins, beads, and a multitude of geometric
patterns, these highly colorful flags signify the
transcendent beauty of the Iwa and the active
power of the spirit’s presence.
(Detail)
Jivya Soma Mashe
[…] In the future, I hope we have enough land for agriculture, enough land for forests. And, that people have
good housing.”
The Warli are a indigenous group of more than
200,000 people who live in the Thane District
about 150 km north of Mumbai. The Warli
carry on a tradition of mural painting that is
used to celebrate important events such as marriages and harvests. These ritual paintings are
done inside the huts of the Warli using rice
paste as pigment on walls made of mud and
cow dung. This art was practiced exclusively by
women until the 1970s when Jivya Soma Mashe
became the first man to begin working in this
tradition. Benefitting from a government program whose goal was to help the community
sustain itself with this craft, he became one of
the first Warli artists to realize these paintings
on paper, moving beyond traditional iconography and innovating in terms of composition.
Recognized by the Indian authorities in charge
of the conservation and promotion of the art of
the Warlis, his work is now highly acclaimed.
Huni Kuĩ artists
(Detail)
“Histoires retrouvées”
The Kaxinawá people live in the state of Acre in
the western Brazilian Amazon. From the end of
the 19th century through 1985, the development
of the rubber industry forced the Kaxinawá to
leave their land and slowly abandon their traditional way of life. Facing this threat of loss, the
Kaxinawá shaman Ibã, who grew up in the 1960s
and 1970s, began to write down the traditional
Kaxinawá myths and songs he had learned from
his father. He then had the idea of documenting
his culture in a new way by turning music into
drawings. Working with Kaxinawá artists, Ibã
sang traditional songs while they accompanied
him live by drawing to his music. These “Song
Drawings”, some twenty of which are included in
this exhibition, are a way to share Kaxinawá
myths and culture with people everywhere. “It is
The exhibition presents a series of paintings all
executed in the first half of the 20th century in the
Congo. These paintings made with natural pigments have a radiant beauty and an extraordinary sense of freedom and spontaneity. The African painters Albert Lubaki, Djilatendo and
not merely to gather the knowledge we have received,
Kalela, encouraged by colonial administrators,
but also to keep it alive.”
moved from painting the walls of huts to working
on paper. They painted nature and the surround- (Detail)
Mamadou Cissé
ing landscape, scenes from everyday life, geometric designs as well as more contemporary subjectmatter such as cars and trains. These works re- Mamadou Cissé was born in 1960 in the Seneveal a scope of African art history that has until galese village of Baghagha. During his youth he
drew portraits, landscapes and developed an
now been unknown in the West.
Revue will be a chance to discover an original
artistic realm. For the opening numbers, Marcelline Delbecq, Ellie Ga, Anne-James Chaton,
Alva Noto and Jonathan Burrows are invited to
curate their own evenings including performis) simple but refined to pay homage to these excep- ances, concerts, and readings.
alludes to both Italian statuary and Byzantine
mosaics, while at the same time has the playful
silhouette of a child’s toy.
Mendini has created the exhibition design for
Show and Tell which he considers as “a set…(that
tional ‘seeing narratives’ that highlight the magic of
hyper-humanity.”
Artists
Tadanori Yokoo
Tadanori Yokoo is one of Japan’s greatest
graphic designers. After seeing a Picasso exhibition at MoMA, he decided to follow a childhood dream:“…to spend [his] free time painting
pictures that would be on the periphery of art history,
like those of Henri Rousseau.” The paintings in this
exhibition come from a set of 37 pictures that
he made in homage to Le Douanier Rousseau.
In each of these paintings, Tadanori Yokoo
introduces an unexpected “event,” following
the Japanese tradition of the two-panel manga.
Combining the pictorial aesthetics of Japan
with those of the West, he transforms Rousseau’s classic paintings with playfulness and
humour.
Exhibition Catalog
Designed as a continuation of the exhibition,
the catalogue Histoires de voir also presents the
narratives of the artists and their works, and in
some instances, their communities. Including
almost 400 images of the exhibited sculptures,
paintings and drawings, as well as essays by
specialists in their fields, the catalogue offers a
unique opportunity to learn more about the
world of these artists. Complementary and opposing perspectives by Laymert Garcia dos
Santos and Sally Price provide a critical look at
the exhibition.
Claudia Andujar, Gregorio Barrio,
Valdir Benites, José Bezerra, Ciça,
Mamadou Cissé, Ronaldo Costa,
Antônio de Dedé, Chano Devi, Djilatendo,
Ratna Raghia Dushalda,
Barcilicio Gauto, Gregor,
Bane Huni Kuĩ (Cleiber Pinheiro Sales),
Bane Huni Kuĩ (Iran Pinheiro Sales),
Isaka Huni Kuĩ (Menegildo Paulino),
Kixtĩ Huni Kuĩ ( João Sereno),
Mana Huni Kuĩ (Pedro Mácario),
Txanu Huni Kuĩ ( José Edson Sales),
Ilunga, Jean-Baptiste Jean Joseph,
Press Information
Joseca, Kalela, Kayembe, Mwenze Kibwanga,
Takeshi Kitano, Albert Lubaki,
Matthieu Simonnet / Tel. +33 (0)1 42 18 56 77
Lukanga, Jivya Soma Mashe, Mbuya,
[email protected]
Isabel Mendes da Cunha,
Information and HR images on:
Alessandro Mendini, Nino,
presse.fondation.cartier.com
Mercedes Noguera, Ariel Kuaray Poty Ortega,
Virgil Ortiz and the Ortiz family
Press opening on Monday May 14, 2012
(Dominic Ortiz, Dominique Ortiz,
Guadalupe Ortiz, Janice Ortiz, Kyle Ortiz,
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain
Lisa Holt, Joyce Lewis, Harlan Reano),
261, boulevard Raspail 75014 Paris
Alcides Pereira dos Santos, Pili Pili Mulongoy,
Tel. +33 (0)1 42 18 56 50
Nilson Pimenta, Lucas Piragi,
fondation.cartier.com
Salustiano Portillo, Sibrun Rosier,
Aurelino dos Santos, Hans Scherfig,
The exhibition Histoires de voir: Show and Tell
is organized with the support of the Fondation Cartier pour
Jangarh Singh Shyam, Cícero José da Silva,
l’art contemporain, under the aegis
Francisco da Silva, José Antonio da Silva,
of the Fondation de France and with the sponsorship
Dragiša Stanisavljević, Taniki, Neves Torres,
of the Société Cartier.
Shantaram Chintya Tumbada, Véio,
Tadanori Yokoo, Yumba
Activities
Nights of Uncertainty
In conjunction with Histoires de voir: Show and
Tell, the Fondation Cartier has organized a series
of events, including discussions and screenings
around the works presented in this exhibition
and the biographies of the artists. Several important events will be diovoted to the indigenous
communities of the Guarani and the Kaxinawá.
To further investigate these works, their “magic”
Alessandro Mendini
and “hyper-humanity,” in the words of Alessandro Mendini, the curator of the exhibition, the
Alessandro Mendini was born in Milan in 1931. Fondation Cartier has invited artists, anthroA designer and architect by training, he pologists, filmmakers and philosophers to exfounded his own studio in 1989 after having change and debate their world views.
worked for Nizzoli and collaborating with
companies such as Alessi, Venini Bisazza and
Nomadic Nights
Philips. Mendini’s work defies the traditional
definitions of art and design, often incorporating Nomadic Nights inaugurates Les Revues, a new
references to high as well as popular art. His monthly event dedicated to the performing arts.
large Cavaliere sculpture, an homage to Dürer, Carte blanche is given to the artists and each
Cover
© Bane, © Djilatendo, © Gregorio Barrio, © Iran,
© Jangarh Singh Shyam, © Joseca, © Kayembe, © Nilson
Pimenta, © Txanu, © Véio
Pages 2-3
Famille Ortiz, Vertigo, 2011. Collection Famille Ortiz
© Famille Ortiz. Photo courtesy of Virgil Ortiz;
Isabel Mendes da Cunha, untitled, 2008.
Collection Galeria Estação
© Isabel Mendes da Cunha. Photo © João Liberato;
Sibrun Rosier, Loko Atissou, 2005.
Collection Sibrun Rosier © Sibrun Rosier.
Photo © Rafaelle Castera;
Djilatendo, untitled, 1929.
Collection Pierre Loos, Bruxelles © Djilatendo.
Photo © André Morin;
Jivya Soma Mashe, Fishnet, 2009.
Collection of the Fondation Cartier
pour l’art contemporain, Paris © Jivya Soma Mashe.
Photo © André Morin;
Mamadou Cissé, 2005. Courtesy Galerie Bernard Jordan,
Paris – Zurich © Mamadou Cissé. Photo © André Morin;
Isaka, 2011. © Isaka.
Page 4
Tadanori Yokoo, Heavy Smoker, 2007.
Collection KAWS, New York © Tadanori Yokoo;
Alessandro Mendini, Il Cavaliere di Dürer, 2011.
Courtesy Fondazione Bisazza, Alte, Vicenza
© Alessandro Mendini. Photo © Lorenzo Ceretta