In Europe, in our “post-industrial”
era, we are increasingly distanced from the production
of the goods we consume. Our downing of tools seems
linked to a change in our relationship with the
material world, provoking a more passive attitude
towards the things with which we surround ourselves.
When they break we throw them away, unable to fix
them and unable (or unwilling) to understand how
they work. In recent years, however, there has been
a resurgence of interest in making, in notions of
self-sufficiency and craftsmanship. While such notions
may find particular resonance in these times of
economic crisis, they are also part of a larger
school of thinking that is reconsidering our relationship
to work and production.
The exhibition Manufacture 2 explores what “production”
means for artists today, not only in relation to
art history but also to the shifts in our globalized,
consumer society. Descendants of conceptual art
as much as of our industrial heritage, the artists
in Manufacture do not hesitate to delve into craftsmanship,
the recuperation of materials, bricolage, employing
a vocabulary of forms, gestures and techniques while
avoiding the fetishisation of perfect technique.
In fact, several share the practice of consciously
“misusing” their chosen materials and
techniques. Others explore the possibilities offered
by the unknown, by failure, chance and accident.
What inspires them all in their production processes
– sometimes spontaneous, sometimes laborious
– is the question of practice and how this
practice entails a form of emancipation. In this
back-and-forth between artisanal and industrial
processes, between contemporary and traditional
materials, between thought and form, the artists
of the exhibition develop a shared approach based
on experimentation and empiricism.
Manufacture 2 is curated Zoë Gray and
follows the exhibition Manufacture,
previously shown at Parc Saint Léger,
Centre d'art contemporain, France during
Summer 2011.
Images (top to bottom)
Ida Ekblad collecting material. Photographed by Rune Saevig, 2010
Ida Eckblad, And so the bells be weeping dear trolley's death knell, 2010 (au second plan/back). View of the exhibition "Manufacture" at Parc Saint Léger (France), 2011 © Aurélien Mole
Charles Mason, Happy or Sad, 2011. Courtesy the artist
Dewar & Gicquel, Sans titre, 2011. View of the exhibition "Manufacture" at Parc Saint Léger (France), 2011 © Aurélien Mole
Michael Beutler, La Cacahuète (workbenches), 2011. View of the exhibition "Manufacture" at Parc Saint Léger (France), 2011 © Aurélien Mole
Hedwig Houben, À propos de la bonne et de la mauvaise sculpture/About the good and the bad sculpture, 2009. View of the exhibition "Manufacture" at Parc Saint Léger (France), 2011 © Aurélien Mole
Emmanuelle Lainé, Effet Cocktail, 2010 (sur le mur/on the wall). View of the exhibition "Manufacture" at Parc Saint Léger (France), 2011 © Aurélien Mole |
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