Conversations | Paris-Caribbean

Paris-Caribbean / Paris-Caraïbes
Paris+ par Art Basel 2023, October 20

For this special edition of Conversations de Paris+ par Art Basel, supposed to be held at the Centre Pompidou, Hans Ulrich Obrist reactivates the legacy of its first director, Pontus Hultén, and his exhibition series ‘Paris-New York’ (1977), ‘Paris-Berlin’ (1978), and ‘Paris-Moscou’ (1979). On this occasion, the panel shifts its focus from Western capitals to the Caribbean archipelago, with the conversation examining the artistic links between the French metropolis and this linguistically and culturally rich region of the world. 

‣ Victor Anicet, ceramic artist, Schœlcher, Martinique
‣ Gaëlle Choisne, artist, Paris
‣ Pol Taburet, artist, Paris
‣ Moderator: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries, London

‣ Victor Anicet was born in 1938 at Le Marigot, a northern township on the island of Martinique. He discovered Amerindian culture as a young boy. At 17 he graduated from the École des Arts Appliqués in Fort-de-France, and went onto continue his studies at the Écoles des Métiers des Arts de Paris in the ceramics department while at the same time researching Amerindian art at the Musée de L’Homme. He continued his studies in ceramics in institutions and with renowned potters, then in 1967 he returned to Martinique where he devoted himself to painting. In 1984, with some other artists he created FWOMAJE, a research group on Caribbean aesthetics. In collaboration with Atelier Simon-Marq of Reims, he created the stained-glass windows for the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption de Saint-Pierre de la Martinique, inaugurated on December 8, 2006. The Lycée Polyvalent in Saint-Pierre is named after Anicet.

‣ Gaëlle Choisne examines the vestiges of colonialism (universal exhibitions, gardens, greenhouses, architecture) and the incarnations of its continuum (merchandise and commodities, extractivist practices, vernacular survivors, and globalized cultures) in her work. Born of a Haitian mother and a Breton father, she addresses the ravages of the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti. Gaëlle Choinse has had solo exhibitions at La Centrale Powerhouse, Montreal, Canada; Zachęta, Warsaw; and the Mistake Room, Los Angeles. She has participated in numerous residencies internationally and has been included in major biennials. She has also had the opportunity to exhibit her work in remarkable institutions such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, the MAMO of the Cité Radieuse of Le Corbusier, the archeological site Lattara – musée Henri Prades in partnership with the MO.CO in Montpellier, the CAFA Museum in Beijing, and the Pera Museum in Istanbul.

‣ Pol Taburet (b. 1997, Paris) lives and works in the French capital and received his masters from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts de Paris-Cergy in 2021. Taburet’s practice draws from a wide range of references throughout art histories, Afro-Caribbean mythologies, and contemporary cultures resulting in singularly intense, energetic paintings and sculptures. Employing diverse techniques, often combining acrylic spray and oils on canvas, his primary focus is on the interplay between human and animal bodies, their life cycles, and transformations. His work has been included in ‘Opera III’, Lafayette Anticipations, Paris, 2023), “Sweets for the Sweets”, Pivô (São Paulo, Brazil, 2023), “Real Corporeal”, Gladstone Gallery (New York, USA, 2022), “Secret Club” curated by Cyrus Goberville, Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection (Paris, France, 2022), and at Reiffers Art Initiatives, Paris, 2022, who awarded him their inaugural prize that year. His first solo exhibition was with Balice Hertling in 2020.

‣ Hans Ulrich Obrist (b. 1968, Zurich, Switzerland) is Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries in London, and Senior Advisor at LUMA Arles. Prior to this, he was curator at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Since his first exhibition ‘“World Soup” (The Kitchen Show)’ in 1991, he has curated more than 350 shows. Obrist’s recent publications include Ways of Curating (2014), The Age of Earthquakes: A Guide to Extreme Present (2015), Lives of the Artists, Lives of the Architects (2015), Mondialité or The Archipelagos of Édouard Glissant (2017), Somewhere Totally Else (2018), The Athens Dialogues (2018), Maria Lassnig: Letters to Hans Ulrich Obrist (2020), Entrevistas Brasileiras: Volume 2 (2021), and 140 Artists’ Ideas for Planet Earth (2021).

The Conversations program for Paris+ par Art Basel 2023 is curated by Pierre-Alexandre Mateos and Charles Teyssou.