Collective exhibition - Le Grand Bazar
Commissioners : Jean-Hubert Martin in Antoine de Galbert's collection
The Château d'Oiron is home to a contemporary art cabinet of curiosities, Curios & Mirabilia, as well as other works that fit subtly and harmoniously with the decorative elements of this 16th-century building. In 1993, Jean-Hubert Martin was inspired by the place to propose the exhibition "Mirabilia". This year he returns to Oiron with a group exhibition based on the Antoine de Galbert collection. Our gaze wanders and is caught by the profusion of eclectic works, which reflect the sensitivity of the passionate collector and his eagerness to discover.
Jean-Hubert Martin positions himself as master of ceremonies by bringing together artists from different backgrounds and their artistic works in various media. These create atmospheres that call for a dream or a journey back in time. Antoine De Galbert's collection, which was recently presented at the Landerneau Foundation on the occasion of the exhibition "Cabinets of Curiosities", reflects the open-mindedness of a man who is passionate about creations from different countries. The tastes of the curator and those of the collector come together here for an exhibition that brings together more than a hundred works: objects from popular cultures, works by emerging and internationally renowned artists, others by representatives of art brut, dialogue together to open us up to the world. This taste for diversity of artistic approaches revives the memory of the humanist Claude Gouffier, Lord of Oiron in the 16th century, who left the motto Hic Terminus Haeret inscribed on the walls of the castle. For the curator, the cabinet of curiosity is "a microcosm and a theatre of the world, in search of the marvellous, which covers all fields. It does not know the division of knowledge into categories that was imposed during the Enlightenment. In this sense, it responds to the aspirations of artists who want to transmit their sensations of a changing world that it is important to be able to apprehend in its totality.
As you visit this historic site, presences seem to inhabit it. The works are inscribed in such an osmosis and correspondence with the architecture that it is necessary to pay attention to the labels and to each corner in order to detect them. The artistic choices of the works, thus staged, echo the ancient uses of the rooms and add a mystery to them. Jean-Hubert Martin has favoured "a search for surprise and wonder, always in keeping with the castle, its décor and its history, insofar as we can imagine what life was like in an ancient castle.
In some places they are disturbing and in others they are enchanting, and they give rise to various reactions, sometimes ambivalent, in visitors who take the time to look closely at them. A new contemporary story is then discovered along the way.
The works make up an exhibition of contemporary art in which we can weave numerous threads and invent multiple stories. Some of them encourage us to stop for a moment, to reflect on our position as spectators and to meditate on the relationship between art and science. Our perception is refined as we move through the rooms of this immense and grandiose castle.
Artists present in both collections include Hubert Duprat, Markus Raetz, Wim Delvoye, Annette Messager, Christian Boltanski, Marina Abramovi, Bertrand Lavier, Nicolas Darrot...
Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's installation From here to ear is an ode to living animals and invites us to pay attention to the reactions of birds to the sounds of musical instruments.
Nicolas Darrot's works, articulated puppets and other small constructions that come to life when approached, are also a favourite. The works of Hubert Duprat enchanted me, and it was a pleasure to see his artistic work again in Oiron. The sculpture by Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger pays tribute to a new nature. The installation by Zilvanas Kempinas captivates our gaze with its movement.
"Each period reinvents the past according to desires and needs" is the thought that Jean-Hubert Martin gave me when reflecting on contemporary art in heritage sites. At the Château de Oiron, the works activate our curiosity and our desire to understand the history of this place while letting us be surprised by the emotions they provoke. This exhibition invites us to a somewhat surprising visual experience. We leave the castle with a head full of images and having experienced so many sensations that we must then be able to put down and remember what has made the biggest impression on us.
Article by Pauline Lisowski for Le Point Contemporain
