Fred Forest's Sociological Art Retrospective at Enghien-les-Bains

A retrospective of Fred Forest, co-founder of the Sociological Art movement with Hervé Fischer and Jean-Paul Thénot in the 1970s, is on view at the Centre des arts d'Enghien-les-Bains from January 25 to March 31, 2013. Forest pioneered an 'aesthetics of communication' emphasizing direct exchange, spectator participation, and co-authorship, predating the relational aesthetics of the 1990s. He also adopted new media like video, the internet, and social networks for interactive works. Curated by the artist himself, the exhibition includes seminal pieces such as 'Blanc envahit la ville' (a public action in São Paulo with blank signs) and recent Second Life projects critiquing international finance. The Centre des arts d'Enghien is noted for preempting the Centre Pompidou, which has yet to grant Forest a major retrospective. The review is by Paul Ardenne.