BnF hosts dialogues between art and literature with Cixous, Tuymans, Obrist
On November 17, 2012, the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) in Paris held an event titled "Les passations de l'esprit," organized by Donatien Grau and Hans-Ulrich Obrist. This gathering included discussions between various artists and writers: Hélène Cixous and Luc Tuymans explored portraiture, Alfredo Arias and Alexandre Singh focused on theater, Catherine Millet and Bertrand Lavier discussed painting, François Jullien and Huang Yong Ping examined translation, while Tristan Garcia and Adel Abdessemed talked about animals. The title was attributed to Etel Adnan. Aimed at revisiting the history of contemporary creation, the free event took place from 2pm to 6pm at BnF François-Mitterrand. Hans-Ulrich Obrist, co-director of Serpentine Gallery, is known for his significant exhibitions, while Donatien Grau teaches at ENS and Paris-Sorbonne and writes for Le Monde des Livres.
Key facts
- Event titled 'Les passations de l'esprit' held on November 17, 2012 at BnF François-Mitterrand, Paris
- Conceived by Donatien Grau and Hans-Ulrich Obrist
- Title offered by poet and painter Etel Adnan
- Conversations: Hélène Cixous and Luc Tuymans (portrait), Alfredo Arias and Alexandre Singh (theater), Catherine Millet and Bertrand Lavier (painting and the absolute), François Jullien and Huang Yong Ping (translation), Tristan Garcia and Adel Abdessemed (animal)
- Hans-Ulrich Obrist is co-director of exhibitions and international projects at Serpentine Gallery, London
- Obrist organized Laboratorium (1999), Cities on the Move (2001), Utopia Station (2003), Il Tempo del Postino (2007)
- Donatien Grau is a former student of École Normale Supérieure, agrégé des Lettres, taught at ENS and Paris-Sorbonne
- Free event from 2pm to 6pm at Petit Auditorium, Hall Est
Entities
Artists
- Donatien Grau
- Hans-Ulrich Obrist
- Etel Adnan
- Hélène Cixous
- Luc Tuymans
- Alfredo Arias
- Alexandre Singh
- Catherine Millet
- Bertrand Lavier
- François Jullien
- Huang Yong Ping
- Tristan Garcia
- Adel Abdessemed
Institutions
- Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
- Serpentine Gallery
- Manchester International Festival
- Biennale de Venise
- École Normale Supérieure
- Université Paris-Sorbonne
- Le Monde des Livres
- Times Literary Supplement
- Flash Art International
- Manuella Éditions
Locations
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Venice
- Italy
- Manchester
Sources
- artpress —