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03/26/2007: "Espace A.R.T." by Alice Cavender
Espace A.R.T. is a group of five young artists who have just graduated from the University of Bordeaux and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Bordeaux.Putting together their creative abilities and their different ideas, they rent a small space in the centre of Vieux Bordeaux where every couple of weeks they display their artwork.
This month’s theme is consumerism, represented mainly by the idea of supermarkets. The five talented young men worked together, creating a unique sculpture expressing their view of consumerism and, in a more general sense, global capitalism.
The imposing piece of work, which measures over four metres long by two metres wide, with a height of about one metre fifty, is composed entirely of supermarket trolleys that have been cut apart into flat squares and then put back together to make what looks like a cage. On the top of the sculpture, they have placed a plaque with their names inscribed, a tombstone that symbolises the death of the artist and inevitably art itself in the modern consumer-mad world.
It is quite unusual for them to create a unique piece of art that represents each of their personalities (they usually display their individual pieces revolving around on a common theme) but it is something that they want to try again as it gives a strength to the artwork ; as you walk into the small room, you can’t help but be confronted by its imposing message, art is caught in the cage of modern society’s ideas and when you get out of the cage, you can do nothing but die, as the society is not willing to accept you anymore.
A very political and sociological statement that combines a strong message with an original use of materials and space.
Espace A.R.T. doesn’t stop there. The room is also used to give concerts, there is a small bar, and many talented designers and artists stop by to share their artwork and ideas. The goal of the organisation is to be able to eventually create what the French call a résidence. The room would become a living space for an artist as well as his atelier and showroom. Every couple of weeks, a different artist would take over and create in his own way, transform the space into his own.
In the city of Bordeaux, where the contemporary art scene is very much underground and where the relatively bourgeois population have difficulty accepting new ideas, Espace A.R.T. comes as a breath of fresh air and a valid attempt to express avant-garde art. The group of young artists are entirely commendable as they are trying very hard to define and create their own art while refusing any help from the city so not to be influenced, financing their projects on their own. Something to see if ever you are wandering about the Saint-Michel area of Bordeaux.
Their website:
http://artrockingtarget.canalblog.com/
