TREND BOOK #1: FIAC 2016 CONTEMPORARY ART...

The 800 Signes Trend Books, #1 FIAC © 800 Signes, October 2016 Page 1

THE 800 SIGNES TREND BOOKS - ANALYZING TRENDS IN ART AND CULTURE

TREND BOOK #1: FIAC 2016 CONTEMPORARY ART SPEAKS

This year at FIAC, the international art fair in Paris, thewriting's everywhere: canvasses,photographs,metalbars,neonlights.SpreadingoutsidetheGrandPalais, ittookovertheAvenue, closed to traffic,with LawrenceWeiner'sWonderland-like signage system («OnAboveUpSurDessusduHaut»)andJacquesVilleglé'sgiantsymboltyping.The edifying (Lawrence Weiner), playful (Laure Prouvost), inked (Gilles Barbier) orcrying(WilliamPope.L)letterconnectsgraphicdesigntoconceptualarts.BothdomainswerewidelyrepresentedthisyearatlaFIAC.Whatislyingunderthesuddenurgeforalltospeak?Forcontemporaryartiststoproduceletters and for galleries to show either recent work or works from previous generationsdisplayingthealphabet?Areweontheeveofaniconographicrevolution?Tiredofimages?Needtotalk?Needsubtitles?Needmeaning?Whatistheurgeforwordsallabout?

Laurence Weiner @ Galerie Pietro Sparta, FIAC 2016, © Araso

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FreezingtheframeArewrittenwordstheultimate«thumb-stopping»trickliketheysayonInstagram?Maybe.Whereimagesarelegion,text,clearandconcise,standsout.Are we headed towards an Instagram of words? It is the choice Hans Ulrich Obrist hasmadesincehisverybeginningonthemedia.Oneofthemostinfluentscuratorsandartcriticofourtimes,heisalsoheadofinternationalprogramsatSerpentineGalleryinLondon.Despitethespontaneousnatureofwriting,itsformrequiresthepasser-bytostopandread.Itdemandsanextraeffort,andit'ssticky.Wordsareread,processedandtriggerareaction,whenintheirintenseproliferation,imageshavebecomeinvisible.

Yael Bartana, Black Stars shed no light, 2014 @ Galerie Raffaella Cortese FIAC 2016. Image © Araso Coming to think of it, text is immediate yet complex enough to stop the passer-by. ThisappliestotheFIAC,theInternet,oreverydaylife.FIACisagoodrepresentativeofwhatourworld isabout:anorgyofgalleries(186)/exhibitedpieces increasinglyhardtodecipher.Attemptingtospotanythinginthismazerequiresyearsoftrainingsoit'sonlynaturalthatclear,loudpiecesstandout-andwefeelsuchareliefwhentheydo.Furthermore,inaway,writingeliminatesbarrierstoentertheArtworld.Nomatterone'sreferenceorknowledgeofarts,everyonewho'sfoundtheirwaytoaplacesuchaslaFIACcanread,andtexthasthepotentialtowineventhebiggestartskepticsover.

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Joseph Kosuth @ Galerie Almine Rech, FIAC 2016 Image © Araso Allsortsofwritings FabriceHyber surrounds his drawingswith captions, almost like a childwould, in a veryplayful fashion.RoniHorn's style is almostdocumentary.GillesBarbier's recallsmonasticwriting from the times of illuminations. Atul Dodyia pays a tribute to Tristan Tzarawithwritinginwhiteonablackboard,justlikeateacherwouldwithawhitechalkonaschoolboard.Marie-ThérèseZerbato-Poudou,aDoctorinSciencesofEducationhighlightstheimportanceofwritingasameanofcognitivedevelopmentandemancipation.Herworkunderlines«theroleoflangageinbuildingone'sthinking»aswellastherelationshipbetweenthemindandthe trace. An intimate gesture in the eye of graphologists, print is a tell-tale in itself.AccordingtoFabriceHyber,«theworldcanonlybeframedinquestions».

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Fabrice Hyber, Invention du Vitral 2, 2016, @ Galerie Nathalie Obadia, image © Araso As farasgraphicdesign isconcern, typography isnot justwriting, it'samanifesto.Oftenrelated to politics or propaganda, it's an instrumentof power. Some fonts havebecomeiconic,asLeighLedare (Mitchell-Innes&Nashgallery)provesbyunearthingpagesof theNewYorkTimes.Writinginitselfisaworkofartanyways,anartisticperformance(WilliamPopeL.).JosephKosuth,whowastheeditorinchiefofArtandLanguagemagazine,explainedasearlyas1969that«theusageoftheartisticlanguage»canbeconsideredart.

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William Pope L., Crying Painting 2016 (detail), @ Galerie Mitchell-Innes & Nash © Araso Thisyear,streetartwasararecommodity.Itsskyrocketingsuccessamongstthebourgeoisieandsubsequentmassiveassociationwithretailthroughadizzyingseriesofcollaborationswithbrands(JonOnexGuerlain,MamboxGoyard,Pro176,NastyetTancxMonoprix,etc.)appeartohavedramaticallyloweredcollectorsinterestinstreetartists.Inthemeantime,Murakamispraypaintszencircles,blackonawhitecanvasatPerrotin's.Andit'saJonOnephotographandnotgraffitithatthesamegallerychosetoexhibitintheircorner,entirelyinBlackandWhite.

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©2015 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Galerie PerrotinItallstartswithaconceptConceptual is about the pre-eminence of the idea over its production. Applied to acommercial creation logic, this translates intohavinga strong concept first andworryingabout spreading it afterwards. It might look like we're stating the obvious but whenconsulted by a variety of brands on digital communication related issues, we invariablyanswerthattheideacomesfirst.Agreateffectofaestheticswithoutmeaningispointless.

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Lawrence Weiner, Transferred/Transféré, 1970 @ Galerie Jan Mot, image © Araso Writingcanbethetalkativewitnessofasilentcreationprocess.AccordingtoSolLeWitt,theprocess of making with its hesitations, scribbles, repentirs, mistakes, notes, is moreinterestingthantheendresult.Andthis ishowLawrenceWeinerworks.Hisphrasesaretitlesforworkshe'smadeinhisstudio,withoutshowingthemtothepubic,andthatheshowsasadifferentversionofthework.And itbecomesastand-alonepiece.Thecolour,shape,andsizearechosenbythesponsor,whothusactivelyparticipatesinthemaking.Theword«Transferred»inmassiveblocklettersonawhitewallwouldsnatchtheaudienceastheyapproachedJanMot'scorner(Bruxelles,Mexico).

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La FIAC, Grand Palais, Conversation Room. Image © Araso ConversationsareanotherpillarofthecreativeprocesshighlightedinthiseditionofFIAC.IanWilsoncrystallizestheminhisworkoninvitations(Therewasadiscussionat16-18rueLittre,Paris1974).Asearlyas1969, theArt&Languagecollectivebased theirworkalsocalled«conversations»onaninvestigationoftherelationshipbetweentheoryandartisticperformances.Thisyear,theFIACmadetheconceptitsownbyopeningaspacededicatedtoConversations,andnamelytalksaboutconnectionsbetweenartandscience,artandarchitecture,artanddiplomacy.Ispoetrythefutureofcontemporaryart?InJurgenKlauke'swork,daysoftheweekappearonblackandwhitephotographslikex-rays.Inadarkatmosphere,theycomposeanoddpoetry,promptingafeelingoflonelinessanduneasiness(ThomasZanderGallery,Köln).

© Jürgen Klauke / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2016, courtesy Galerie Thomas Zander, Köln

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ItwasveryhardtomisstheworkofrisingartistLaureProuvost,representedbyNathalieObadiainParisandBrusselsandCarlier|GebauerinBerlin.AFrenchartistbasedinLondon,Laure Prouvostwas awarded the Turner prize in 2013. The Consortium inDijon has justofferedherasoloshowwhichendedonSeptember26.

Laure Prouvost @ Galerie Carlier | Gebauer, Image © ArasoAlthoughsheclaimsnottobeapoet,LaureProuvost isundoubtedlyaremarkablestory-teller.Shedoesn'tcreatefiction;shesubstitutesonerealitytoanother:hers.HershowinDijonwasacollectionofstories,dependingornotoneachother,arebustodecipherinthedark, a journey dedicated to picking up hand-written letters on the floor and nibblingraspberries.

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Laure Prouvost @ Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Image © Araso Herplayfulboardswiththeirwhitelettersprintedonapatentblackboardhelppeoplefind(orlose)theirway:«Inthedarkthissignwishestoshowyoutheway»or«Youaregauinginverongdirection»,2016.Theplatesbeneathherworks«Thisbutterflydiedheretobelookedbyyou»and«Thisappleherehasthepowertoturneverythinghereintomoldydust»giveanyobject,whetherordinaryorextraordinary,acompletelydifferentpurpose.Andbydoingso,she'swalkingstraightintothefootstepsofRenéMagritte.Isitmarketingorpolitics?Textequals tagline,equalsadvertisement,equalsconsumerism,equals...Popart.WritingflirtswithPopartandeverydaylifeobjects.LucyMcKenzieismappingoutnewterritories(BuchholzGallery,Berlin,NewYork).AnnetteKelmlaysdowndeadleavesononedollarbills(KönigGallery,Berlin).

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Stand intégralement DADA chez GDM, Paris. Image © Araso Andy's Silver Clouds inspire Canadian artists collective General Idea their Magi©Bullets(1992),wholeftasignifiantmarkonconceptualartinthelate1960sonwards,(EstherSchipper/JohnenGallery,Berlin).Graphicdesignishavingarevival,recallingBauhausaestheticswithK.P.BrehmeratVilmaGold (London) or conveying a comic strip touch on screaming flowers at Francesca Pia(Zürich)with«Herehere»byRochelleFeinstein.Her«Yesyes»callstoaheavy-hearted«wecan».

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Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Project for Dazed and Confused) 1996, Courtesy of Gallery Sprüth Magers Barbara Kruger, represented by SprüthMagers (Berlin) has worked a series ofUntitled,Project for Dazed and Confused, 1996/2015.Her toying with the codes of printed pressbecame her artistic signature. Her pithy strong headlines printed in white on a redbackground complete and caption savvy photo arrangements. Her work tackles societalissues such as relations between men and women, gender stereotypes and heavyconsumerism.BarbaraKrugerlivesinLAandsaysshewantstoquestionourrelationshiptoimages,establishedcodesanddogmatismscarriedbypressandadvertisement.SoitwasmadeclearthisyearatFIAC,thatartdoesn'tintendtoyieldtothedumbing-downviciouscircleoftheever-increasingconsumptionoffastermoredisposablegoods.Artwascryingoutloud:• Theendoftheimagealmighty;• Therebirthofapoliticalconscience;• Thenecessityofcollectivethinking;• Theneedforindividualtoreclaimtheownershipoftheirownthinking.• ©800Signes2016.Pleasecontactusforfurtherdevelopments.