November 24, 25, and 26, 2011 will mark the first steps of a new festival blending music and contemporary artists from the A Vendre gallery to Volume, passing through the MAMAC auditorium. A noteworthy “mesclun” orchestrated by Bertrand Baraudou and his Espace A VENDRE, which will be the starting point of the event. Nice Premium therefore gave him the floor to understand the why and how of this new Nice event…
The love affair between rock ‘n roll and contemporary art is vibrant. It is customary to say it begins with Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. A romantic birth driven by the “first star of art,” which could explain why rock ‘n roll is the most represented music in contemporary creation.
Thus, instead of addressing rock and contemporary art through exhibitions (it’s not only rock ‘n roll baby, Brussels 2009 / Sympathy for the devil: Art and rock ‘n roll since 1967, Montreal, 2008) the idea is to present this project through events and the staging and music of the artists themselves.
Nice Premium: Bertrand, why this first festival of contemporary artists’ music in Nice?
Bertrand Baraudou: The idea was to highlight the fact that many national and international artists do not limit themselves to museum walls and enjoy meeting and exploring the stage. Many initiate groups or play themselves in musical bands. For others, music is an integral part of their artistic practice.
NP: How did this idea come about and what was its journey?
BB: Last year, Espace A VENDRE created the first “Auto Salon,” a series of exhibitions in Nice on the theme of self-portrait, self-representation, and auto-fiction in art. In this context, we created an FMAC N°0 with two concerts; this year, the idea was to let it stand alone with a slightly more substantial program.
NP: What will be the program for this first edition?
BB: Concerts above all, at the gallery (Rue Vernier on the first day, 24.11) but also at Volume (Rue Defly on November 25 and 26) and a special evening on Saturday, November 26 at the MAMAC auditorium where, after the screening of a film by Alain Guiraudie, an exceptional UFO (THE KING OF ESCAPE), Xavier Boussiron, who composed the music, will give a concert (Rock) with the participation of Arnaud Labelle-Rojoux who was recently exhibited at MAMAC in Nice or at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
The following day and on the sidelines of the FMAC, an evening proposed by the DOJO will close this first festival with Stevie Moore & co.
NP: Finally, will this be a permanent event in Nice?
BB: I hope so! We would like to expand it, have groups coming from all over the list of contemporary artists belonging to bands is immense worldwide, and we hope to continue presenting more cinema, performances, and/or exhibitions.
