Exploring space and architecture are the central themes of the exhibition by Tatiana Trouvé currently on display at Villa Arson. Situated alongside the work of other artists—Zoé Leonard, an American, Laurence Denimal, a French woman, and Claire Fontaine, a collective of artists—Tatiana Trouvé’s work immediately stands out. She is the sole artist making use of the labyrinthine aspect of Villa Arson. Thus, there is no prescribed single way to enjoy the various installations. Inevitably, this choice lends a certain enigmatic quality to the exhibition.
For we are always in this domain with Tatiana Trouvé: a hybrid universe, with works that are both mysterious and poetic. At Villa Arson, the artist has chosen to present installations that parallel her “drawings”, canvases blending paint and charcoal strokes. Tatiana Trouvé plays with perceptions and scales: a dance bar, lacquered in black, placed less than a meter off the ground; an elevator reduced in size to become inaccessible to any human. Such is the case with Tatiana Trouvé: one must take time to reflect, to let oneself be carried by her installations to attempt to unravel their mystery.
A Unique Work, the Bureau of Implicit Activities, Continuously Reused
Arriving in France in the early 80s, the artist was marked by the labyrinth of the French administration. She turned this experience into her work: the Bureau of Implicit Activities (BAI), whose elements she regularly reuses to create new installations. Today, the BAI is almost closed, but Tatiana Trouvé’s approach remains the same: the works presented at Villa Arson are old installations reused and arranged in an original way.
Only six elements were created especially for the exhibition. For example, these pool cues corseted in black leather and burnt at the tip, like a match. Installed in two opposite rooms of the labyrinth, they form a guiding thread throughout the exhibition. Just as with these copper threads that reappear in the drawings. The artist explains: “Copper is present in all constructions, but it is generally hidden. In my drawings, I wanted to make it visible, to bring it to the foreground.”
One striking thing about Tatiana Trouvé’s exhibition is the total absence of human beings in the drawings. This is related to her artistic approach: she always seeks to represent human activity, but one that has taken place, or that will take place. Thus, in the “mineral” room, she sets up plaques—similar to those of lawyers or doctors found at the bottom of buildings— but without any inscription. Will these plaques be engraved in the future? Or have they been erased by time? Mystery…
Today, at a turning point in her career, Tatiana Trouvé wants to move towards a new form of creation. “I would like to redo all the drawings of the exhibition, correcting them. And perhaps in the future present an exhibition composed solely of my drawings.”
The exhibition is open until February 3rd, every day from 2 PM to 6 PM, except Tuesdays. Admission is free.
