Video in English, subtitled in French
Duration: 10 min

In conjunction with the “Arles se livre” Festival, the Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles presents an event on the theme of sound poetry and how it is archived.

Sound poetry, while generally situated outside the field of books, relies on the use of the voice, which is transmitted to the listener either directly or by radiophonic or other technological means. It originated in the first quarter of the 20th century with the phonetic poetry of Georgian artist Ilia Zdanevitch (1894-1975) and the visual poetry or parole in libert of Filippo Marinetti (1923-1944), among others. Closely linked with the Dada movement, it developed more broadly in the 1950s, bringing together poets such as Bernard Heidsieck (1928-2014), Henri Chopin (1922-2008) and François Dufrêne (1930-1985). It also gave rise to other work centred on the breath, such as the “megapneumes” of artist Gil J. Wolman (1929-1995) included in the current exhibition “Breathing One’s Breath”.

The nature of this poetry raises many questions. Given that the recording of performances or actions by sound poets varies,
how can we think about its transmission?
How can it be archived?
Who rejects the printed word and why?
What do young artists do with such a powerful yet unstable legacy?

These issues will be addressed by a round table made up of  Eric Mangion, Director of the Centre d’art de la Villa Arson (Nice) and curator of the exhibition “La Voix libérée – Poésie sonore” at the Palais de Tokyo in 2019, and Anne Le Troter, an artist whose practice explores the mechanics of language and speech through sound. It will be moderated by Julia Marchand, Associate Curator of the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles.

The philosopher Clément Layet will present his latest book, which brings together the painter’s extensive writings, Pierre entourée de chutes: écrits et entretiens sur la peinture, la politique et le théâtre (1953-1998), recently published by L’Atelier contemporain.

More generally, Clément Layet will also share his thoughts on the themes that run through the exhibition “Nature humaine – Humaine nature”.

Clément Layet is also the author of Hölderlin: la démesure et le vivant (Vrin, 2020) and André du Bouchet (Seghers, 2002).

Cover of the book: Pierre entourée de chutes – Écrits et entretiens sur la peinture, la politique et le théâtre, 1953-1998 de Gilles Aillaud (2022) – 30 € – 672 pages – ISBN : 978-2-85035-090-0

Vue de l’exposition. Photo : François Deladerrière
Gilles Aillaud, La Fosse, 1967
Huile sur toile, 200 × 250 cm (FNAC 29065)
En dépôt au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes
Centre national des arts plastiques, Paris
© Adagp, Paris, 2022 / Cnap
Crédit photographique : Jean-Manuel Salingue – Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes

An art historian and critic, independent curator and professor of art history at the Beaux-arts de Paris from 1988 to 2019, Jean-François Chevrier is the author of numerous essays and books on modern art, including photography and architecture.

Books and exhibition catalogues since 2004 (selection):

– published by L’Arachnéen: La Trame et le hasard (2010) – Des territoires (2011), Les Relations du corps (2011) – L’Hallucination artistique. De William Blake à Sigmar Polke (2012) – Œuvre et activité. The question of art (2015).

– Restricted Action. L’art moderne selon Mallarmé (cat. MACBA/Musée des beaux-arts de Nantes, Hazan, 2004-2005) – Jeff Wall (Hazan, 2006/2013) – Formes biographiques (cat. Musée Reina Sofia/Carré d’art Nîmes, Hazan, 201

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Curator Bice Curiger will then discuss the central role of transparency in Polke’s work. In several of the paintings in the exhibition, we can see how the artist abandons opacity in favour of transparency, thanks to the use of innovative materials and techniques. In this way, he invites viewers to look behind the work, through the work.

Portrait of Jacqueline Burckhardt. Photo : Gaetan Bally

Vue de l’exposition. Photo : Hervé Hôte

Second part – discussion on the topic : Sigmar Polke’s artistic experiments
At 7pm, with Bernard Marcadé, Corinne Rondeau and Bice Curiger

Presentation of the speakers further down

Presentation of the speakers:

Anna Polke
Daughter of Sigmar Polke, in 2018 she founded the Anna Polke Stiftung, a not-for-profit foundation based in Cologne that encourages research into and engagement with her father’s work, while supporting new forms of artistic transmission

Bernard Marcadé
An art critic and historian, he is the author of numerous essays on the avant-garde and contemporary art. In 2019, he presented Les infamies photographiques de Sigmar Polke at the BAL in Paris, offering a new reading of the artist’s photographic work.

Corinne Rondeau
Corinne Rondeau is a lecturer in aesthetics and art sciences at the University of Nîmes, and an art and film critic. She works regularly with France Culture and various specialist arts magazines. Her work examines contemporary forms of artistic experience, between a critical eye and sensitive involvement.

Far from the image of the tormented, misunderstood, instinctive artist so often promoted by cinema, a careful reading of Van Gogh’s letters reveals a cultivated, thoughtful man, fully aware of the value of his art.

The painstaking work of his sister-in-law Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger, widow of his brother Theo, made it possible in 1914 for the general public to discover a true epic in the form of an unparalleled literary monument.
To this day, the study of this body of work continues to reveal secrets and surprises.

Wouter van der Veen, a specialist in Van Gogh’s correspondence, will offer an unexpected deep dive into this rich and fascinating material.

Wouter van der Veen (born 1974) is an independent researcher, President of the Van Gogh Academy, author, and associate researcher at the University of Strasbourg.
He earned his PhD from Utrecht University in 2007 with Van Gogh, homme de Lettres (Van Gogh, Man of Letters) and has published several books, including Van Gogh à Auvers (Van Gogh in Auvers, Chêne, 2009), Le Capital de Van Gogh (The Capital of Van Gogh, Actes Sud, 2018), Attaqué à la racine (Attacked at the Root, Arthénon, 2020), and Iris en feu (Iris on Fire, L’écailler, 2023).

A former collaborator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and former lecturer at the University of Strasbourg, he served as Scientific Director of the Van Gogh Institute in Auvers-sur-Oise from 2012 to 2022.
In 2020, he identified the location where Van Gogh painted his final masterpiece, Les Racines (Tree Roots). In 2023, he curated the exhibition Van Gogh, Les Derniers voyages à Auvers-sur-Oise (Van Gogh: The Final Journeys in Auvers-sur-Oise) and supervised the restoration of Dr. Gachet’s House.

David Brunel offers a specific perspective on the exhibition through a series of two lectures, conducted as a guided walk through the exhibition galleries.

David Brunel
Born in 1968, David Brunel lives in Arles and works throughout the greater South-East of France. He is a writer, photographer, and holds a PhD in aesthetic philosophy and psychoanalytic studies. He is an associate researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Human and Social Sciences in Montpellier (CRISES), and is qualified as a Maître de conférences (18th section).

He teaches aesthetic philosophy, art history, history of photography, cinema, and critical analysis at Paul Valéry University Montpellier III (Bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Master’s degree in Aesthetic Philosophy), at Aix-Marseille University (Fine Arts), and at ENSI in Avignon. He regularly contributes to art schools, foundations, and cultural institutions, and is a regular speaker at the Fondation Vincent van Gogh — Arles.

Prior to his university studies, he trained in photography at Serge Gal’s school Image Ouverte, which he later joined as a lecturer and academic coordinator. Whether critical, poetic, or photographic in nature (lectures, publications, exhibitions), his research is consistently driven by the broad question of representation—both from the creator’s and the viewer’s perspectives.

Selected Publications

Avec les cils comme rideaux, éd. de l’épair — Poésie (2019)
La Photographie vue de dos, éd. l’Harmattan, coll. Ouverture Philosophique — Essai (2015)
Limons, éd. Loco — Poésie (2014)
Pour un voir en fuite, éditions de La Nuit — Poésie (2013)
La Photographie comme métaphore d’elle-même, éd. l’Harmattan, coll. Ouverture Philosophique — Essai (2012)
Au bord du visible, l’indicible, éditions de La Nuit — Poésie (2010)

Lecture: Art through the eyes of… David Brunel

David Brunel is a writer and a photographer.
He is also Doctor in philosophy aesthetics and psychoanalytic studies.
Through the lecture, David Brunel gives his perspective and thoughts on the exhibition “My cartography: the Erling Kagge collection”.

The 40 minutes lectures has been devided in three parts.
It is held in French but English subtitles are available by clicking on the “CC” button of the vimeo player.

► First part: Art as a compass, duration : 12 min
In this first part, he reacts to the statement of the collector Erling Kagge for whom art takes on the role of a compass. Moreover, he also exposes Paul Klee’s “parable of the tree”. This parable explains in a very poetic way what art is, what the artist is, and what the artwork is.

► Second part: Art as an experience, 16 min
In this second part, David Brunel begins by recalling some specific features of contemporary art among which its plurality. He explains why he finds contemporary art to be extremely benevolent, an invitation to make a personal interpretation, which requires a sustained personal commitment.
To illustrate his point, he shares his experience in front of the work Elles [Them] by Birgit Megerle (2018), who brought forth very personal associations and sensations, which belong precisely to the aesthetic experience itself.

► Thrid part: Giving meaning?, 14min
The last part of the conference will soon be available on our website and on the Foundation’s Vimeo page.

One Hour, one Artwork

Below you will find the audio recordings of the conferences “One Hour, one Artwork”.
During these lectures (around 15 minutes each), our mediators explore five artists from the Erling Kagge collection.
Let yourself be carried by their voices…
You can also download their podcast here, and register to get our upcoming podcasts.

• Rirkrit Tiravanija, an audio lecture by Clémence Despois

Who is Rirkrit Tiravanija (1961) ?
How does he question the dematerialization of art?
What is relational art?
The meal as an artistic process …

Clémence Despois guides us…

 

• Vibeke Tandberg, an audio lecture by Clémence Despois

Who is Vibeke Tandberg (*1967) ?
How does she handle the art of trompe-l’oeil through photography?
How does she reinvent herself a family album?
In what ways does she denounce societal stereotypes of femininity?

 

Clémence Despois guides us…

Lawrence Weiner, an audio lecture by Sara Guti (in French only)

• Who is Lawrence Weiner (born 1942) ?
• What is his artistic approach?
• What is a mental sculpture, conceptual art?
  Sara Guti guides us …

Lawrence Weiner, We Are Ships at the Sea Not Ducks in a Pond, 2015.
Lithographie offset 41,4 × 59,4 cm. Éd. 10/10 + 2 ÉA
Collection Erling Kagge

Coming up soon:

• Rirkrit Tiravanija, a lecture by Clémence Despois
  
• Diane Arbus, a lecture by Justine Tallon
  
• Vibeke Tandberg, a lecture by Clémence Despois
• Darren Almond, a lecture by Justine Tallon