Yesterday late in the morning, the Mayor of Nice officially opened this municipal gallery at 8 Rue de la Loge, on the corner with Rue Droite. We are right in the heart of the old town, where artists have their studios and galleries. We are just a stone’s throw from the Palais Lascaris.
Why the name Babazouk? This neighborhood of the old town has always had this nickname. It was a certain Franceschin, a native of Nice who returned from Algiers where he lived in the El Bazoum district, who, having settled in this then ill-reputed and unsanitary town, first named his tavern Babazoum, which quickly became Babazouk.
The principles of this gallery adhere to the ideals of freedom in creativity. Nice is a land of the arts, even if in this alleyway we cannot evoke the light and transparency of the air that Matisse and Renoir made their favorite theme.
Nevertheless, that is the real interest of this gallery: creativity and creation should not be reserved for the elite alone but for all those who have something to express with their paintbrush.
The Lou Babazouk gallery will thus be open to all artists without distinction of age, style, professional or amateur status. The use of the room is free* and cannot have commercial purposes. The selected artist will be able to exhibit their works for two months, allowing for six exhibitions per year.
The first visual artist taking on the challenge, because it is a challenge to exhibit, is Jo Guichou, an artist living and working in Nice. She is one of the few working with chewing gum. All media are used by her, and a painting may ultimately be the work of the visual artist. The dominant features are color, humor, and poetry, without omitting a sharp social critique. The word critique here being an analysis of our society.
The Lou Babazouk gallery is a new concept with the selected artists. Since there is no economic endpoint or financial stakes, one can be certain that the choices will be based on the true value of the artists, even unknown ones, and especially unknown ones. The aim is to become known and noticed.
Thierry Jan
