October 12, 2019–January 19, 2020
Kimsooja presents one of her largest and most ambitious projects to-date—Traversées \ Kimsooja—curated by two artistic directors, Emma Lavigne and Emmanuelle de Montgazon. Placing Poitiers on the international art map, this project is a city-wide invitation offered to one artist. Across 15 locations, Kimsooja exhibits more than ten large scale site-specific installations, four films from her series Thread Routes including a new chapter Thread Routes Vl, and five performance videos.
Traversées \ Kimsooja also invites 20 artists whose work resonates with Kimsooja’s practice, to observe the city and to share their own perspectives. Over three months, the City of Poitiers will run an exciting program of events, breaking down the boundaries between visual art, performance, food, music, dance, film, and architecture.
Kimsooja’s Archive of Mind at the majestic Palace of the dukes of Aquitaine, is conceived of as an axis, and as a starting point, crossing the city. In the former courtroom, Kimsooja premieres a new commission by the City of Poitiers, the sixth chapter of Thread Routes, filmed in Morocco. The film series explores world textile culture, as a “visual poetry and anthropology.”
Bottari 1999-2019 is a new major work of the exhibition. Facing the cathedral of Saint-Pierre, the shipping container painted with Obangsaek colors, representing the cardinal directions, contains the artist’s personal belongings accumulated in her New York apartment over twenty years. At the Chapelle Saint-Louis, the Bottari Truck-Migrateurs performance video and installation recall the struggle of sans-papiers at the Eglise Saint-Bernard in 1996. Planted Names, displayed in the sacristy is a homage to the enslaved people at the Drayton Hall Plantation in South Carolina.
“These “traversées” will turn local residents and visitors alike into wanderers, following the paths left by the artists, routes that fork and multiply into a disorienting infinity.” E.L and E.dM
Invited Artists
Sammy Baloji, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Belgium / Myriam Boucher, Canada / Compagnie l’Homme Debout, France / Ensemble 0, France / Thomas Ferrand, France / Subodh Gupta, India / Jung Marie, South Korea / Lenio Kaklea, France / Greece / Tadashi Kawamata, Japan / France / Lee Mingwei, Taiwan / France / Min Tanaka, Japan / Tomoko Sauvage, France / Japan / Achilleas Souras, United Kingdom / Greece / Stephen Vitiello, USA / Rirkrit Tiravanija, Germany / Thailand / And more
Events program
Min Tanaka, Locus Focus, Performance, 2019
November 2, 3pm - Musée Sainte-Croix
November 3, 10, 3pm - Palais des ducs d’Aquitaine
November 6, 9, 13, 4pm - Chapelle Saint-Louis
November 8, 6pm - Notre-Dame la Grande
November 14 - Villa Bloch, followed by a conversation with Lenio Kaklea
November 15, 4pm – Parc Blossac
November 16, 3pm – from Sainte-Radegonde Church to the city center
Thomas Ferrand, Des sauvages parmi nous, 2019
November 7-8, December 12-15, January 9-10 - Lunch menu at Grand Ours restaurant
November 9, 6pm - Fanzine Launch with Thomas Ferrand and Otto T., Atelier du Palais
November 10, 5pm, December 14, 6pm; Jan.11, 5pm – Lecture at the Atelier du Palais / Atelier Canopé
December 15, 11am + January 12, 2pm - Picking walk with the artist
Subodh Gupta, Cooking the World, Installation, 2017
November 9-10, December 14-15, January 11-12, Tasting Indian dish at the Maison de l’Architecture
Rirkrit Tiravanija, Untitled 2018 (the infinite dimensions of smallness)
November 10, January 12, 4pm - Tea ceremony inside Musée Sainte-Croix
Lenio Kaklea, Encyclopédie pratique, Détours, 2019
November 14 - Conversation with Lenio Kaklea and Min Tanaka at the Atelier du Palais
November 22, 8:30pm - Dance and Book Launch at TAP - Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers
Tomoko Sauvage
December 12, Opening of In Curved Water, Installation, 2019 - Espace Mendès-France
January 10, 6:30pm – Waterbowls, Performance, 2019 - Espace Mendès-France
Kimsooja
November 29-December 6, Poitiers Film Festival at TAP - Screening of A Homeless Woman – Delhi, Video, 2000
Around Christmas till January 19, 2020 at Notre-Dame la Grande - Solarescope, Lighting Installation, 2019
Lee Mingwei, The Mending Project
Every Thursday to Sunday till January 19, 2020, from 3-6pm
Activation of the installation at Musée Sainte-Croix
Rencontres Michel Foucault
November 5-10 - TAP - Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers
Is Medieval Art contemporary? Act IV
November 14, 21, 28 and December 5, 12, 6:30pm - Médiathèque François Mitterrand
