Long Press Release Opening Le Château Rentilly 5
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Opening of Le château de Rentilly A project by Xavier Veilhan, artist Bona-Lemercier, architects, Alexis Bertrand, scenographer Saturday 22 November 2014 Le château de Rentilly (September 2014) Photo : Martin Argyroglo. © Bona-Lemercier/Alexis Bertrand/Xavier Veilhan (ADAGP, Paris, 2014) Contacts: MYRA, Yannick Dufour et Magda Kachouche + 33 1 40 33 79 13 - [email protected] Sommaire • Press release for Le château de Rentilly opening p. 3 • Press release for the exhibition Explore. p. 4 • Extracts of interviews with the different actors involved in the project p. 5 • Biographical notes Xavier Veilhan, Bona-Lemercier, Alexis Bertrand p. 8 • The Communauté d’agglomération de Marne et Gondoire p. 9 • The frac île-de-france p. 10 • The Fonds régionaux d’art contemporain / The commande publique p. 11 • The Parc Culturel de Rentilly in a few dates p. 12 • Images available for the press - château p. 13 - exhibition Explore. p. 16 • Notes for editors p. 18 2 Opening of Le château de Rentilly On 22 November 2014, Le château de Rentilly will re-open on a brand-new scale. Now completely enveloped in stainless steel plates, the building will act as a mirror for the beautiful park in which it stands. The metamorphosis was presided over by internationally renowned artist Xavier Veilhan, architects Bona- Lemercier and set designer Alexis Bertrand. This new contemporary art space, a project carried out by Communauté d’agglomération de Marne et Gondoire*, as a part of the Parc Culturel de Rentilly, will act as a unique and singular window open to the world. The frac île-de-france** – which is already present in Paris with its own temporary exhibition space, le plateau – will exhibit its collection (and will also invite other collections, public or private, French and international) in le château de Rentilly, thus playing with the status of the building: it is at once a sculpture and an exhibition space freely accessible to the public. The new château de Rentilly is an expression of the revived focus on the historical legacy and the enthusiasm of the Communauté d’agglomération for art and public commitment. Le château de Rentilly thus metamorphosed will be inaugurated with the exhibition Explore.* : with regard to a new building to be discovered, the exhibition takes this idea of discovery and exploration as a point of departure for making a selection of works within the collection of frac île-de-france. In this respect, it is especially the notion of space that these works broach in a very diversified way for novel experiments. * The urban community of Marne et Gondoire ** The Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Île-de-France The rehabilitation work for Le château has been carried out by the Communauté d'agglomération de Marne et Gondoire, with the support of the ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, the Région Île-de-France and the Département de la Seine-et-Marne. * Explore. Is the second part of an exhibition triptych devoted to the collection of the frac île-de-france: Interprète. (28.03 – 11.05.14), le plateau, Paris Explore. (22.11.2014 – 22.03.2015), le château, Rentilly Célèbre. (16.11.– 10.05.15) Mamco, Genève 3 Explore. 22 November 2014 – 22 March 2015 Curator: Xavier Franceschi Dove Allouche, Pierre Bismuth & Michel Gondry, Philippe Decrauzat, Mark Geffriaud, Laurent Grasso, Caroline Mesquita, Ulla von Brandenburg, Xavier Veilhan Mark Geffriaud, Polka Dot, 2008, Collection frac île-de-france, © Mark Geffriaud Explore., the second part of a triptych of exhibitions devoted to the collection of the frac île-de- france*, is the opening exhibition at Rentilly castle, rehabilated by Xavier Veilhan, the architects Bona/Lemercier and the set designer Alexis Bertrand, and now the second premises of the frac île-de-france as part of its multi-site project. In this particular context, with regard to a new building to be discovered, the decision of the exhibition was to take this idea of discovery and exploration as a point of departure for making a selection of works within the collection. In this respect, it is especially the notion of space that these works broach in a very diversified way for novel experiments. A large loft linking up with the ‘white cube’ but defying explanation (Pierre Bismuth & Michel Gondry), flying over a seascape against a backdrop of ghostly evocations (Laurent Grasso), sombre representations of the black sea in its cardinal points or particularly hazy abysses (Dove Allouche), it is actually often a question of confronting reality in its spatial dimension as if the better to grasp it. But like these ever anonymous figures, in spite of all attempts to recognize them (Ulla von Brandenburg), or like these images that a solar light beam intermittently lightens (Mark Geffriaud), reality tends to endlessly elude us when we try to circumscribe it, making way for so many unresolved mysteries. Circumvolutions, cycles and rotations: another feature of the show lies in the fact of presenting a number of pieces very formally incorporating the figure of the circle and the loop. From the gesture of bypassing which is the basis of Ulla von Brandenburg’s film (Around, 2005)—in a loop–, to the 360° revolutions adopted by Pierre Bismuth’s, Mark Geffriaud’s and Philippe Decrauzat’s pieces, this figure and its many different forms stake out the exhibition like so many footholds in the space. There is also a figure of movement: beyond an eternal return and the reflexive form it symbolizes, it corresponds to this idea of displacement suggested by the exhibition and the overall proposal. Explore., or the need to walk around the different spaces of the new Rentilly castle… Xavier Franceschi * Interprète. Le plateau, Paris (28.03 – 11.05.14) ; Explore. Le château, Rentilly (22.11.2014 – 22.03.2015) ; Célèbre. Mamco, Genève. (16.02 – 10.03.15) 4 Interviews with the different actors involved in the project Michel Chartier and Xavier Franceschi Michel Chartier is President of the Communauté d’agglomération de Marne et Gondoire (Marne et Gondoire Urban Community) Xavier Franceschi is director of the frac île-de-france (Ile-de-France Regional Contemporary Art Collection) Xavier Franceschi: The frac île-de-france has been a partner of the Parc culturel de Rentilly since 2006, with an initial exhibition proposed in the castle’s outbuildings. Based on that first collaboration, we decided to carry on the experiment with one to two annual exhibitions devised on the basis of the frac’s collection. A real partnership has in fact been established between the Parc culturel and the frac, including in particular a common jury dealing with artists’ residencies. Eight years after those early days, how do you appraise this partnership and this contemporary art project? Michel Chartier: The Parc culturel project, supported by this partnership which we have set up together, has offered an opportunity to inform and raise the awareness of the people of Marne et Gondoire about contemporary art, and cultural issues which were previously not really part and parcel of their daily lives. The exhibitions held have made it possible to present works from the frac collection in an unusual way, and bring life to the whole park by way of the exhibition venues. XF: Precisely… we have become involved together in a new project, and a not inconsiderable one at that, because what is involved is the renovation of the castle, which had fallen into disuse. Given its architecture, which is of little value, heritage-wise—the building is not listed as a historic monument—I suggested that you do something totally novel with it: put that renovation in the hands of an artist. And you agreed… MC: Since the Communauté d’agglomération de Marne et Gondoire set up shop in the Domaine de Rentilly, we have launched several phases of renovation. Renovating the castle was part of our projects, but I didn’t see the interest of an identical renovation which would not have been very attractive…I wanted the Rentilly park to be identified as a an artistic place, so making the castle a work of art itself could be an enticing proposition! We therefore launched a call for tenders for the project, and studied the submissions of the various candidates. We asked different institutions and for that renovation we obtained the backing of the ministère de la Culture et de la Communication in the form of a public commission. XF: The idea—a very simple one, in the end—is actually to make the castle both a place totally suitable for the presentation of exhibitions and an artwork in its own right. Xavier Veilhan, who won the competition that was organized with that in view, totally integrated the whole thing by proposing nothing less than a sculpture on the scale of the building, which will have wonderful exhibition areas. The gesture is radical. The result won’t leave people indifferent. MC: This is a chance being offered to the Domaine to rethink the architecture of this place thanks to the way a great artist like Xavier Veilhan looks at things. We are duty bound to grasp this opportunity and share it with the inhabitants of Marne et Gondoire. I’m prepared to defend this choice among the public, and explain it. The Parc culturel must move forward, and this is what it is doing with this original and novel project. XF: This project is at once part of the development plan for the Parc culturel de Rentilly and part of the development plan that involves the frac île-de-france. As it happens, it is a question of establishing not a “second generation” FRAC, where everything is brought together in a single site, but a multi-site FRAC with different footholds in the region.