Histoire. Regards d'artistes at Hôtel des Arts, Toulon

The exhibition 'Histoire. Regards d'artistes' at Hôtel des Arts in Toulon, running from October 26, 2013, to January 5, 2014, presents photographs and videos that engage with history while distancing themselves from events and press images deemed unreliable. Luc Delahaye, a former photojournalist turned artist, paradoxically reduces events to single wide shots of secondary moments. Other artists favor site returns and imaginary reconstructions: Eduardo Nave photographs ETA attack sites to counter memory denial, while Cristina Lucas animates Delacroix's 'Liberty Leading the People' until the female allegory collapses under male blows. Sophie Ristelhueber, the only artist to rethink her work for the show, presents large scars photographed in a Paris hospital, echoing the Balkan conflict, displayed in a small room that creates an intimate confrontation with history. Mohamed Bourouissa also alludes to history painting. The exhibition highlights Spanish artists rarely shown in France.