Incipit at Espace Paul Ricard: A Critical Suspension of Meaning

At Espace Paul Ricard in Paris, from October 3 to November 10, 2006, curator Charlotte Laubard organized the group exhibition 'Incipit,' featuring works by Guillaume Leblon, Claire Fontaine, Ghazel, Gilles Balmet, Bettina Samson, Vincent Lamouroux, and Benoît Broisat. The show's title refers to the opening lines of a novel or film, and the exhibition explores moments of suspension and critical displacement. A massive cube wrapped in white sheets by Guillaume Leblon, titled 'Sans titre, National monument,' dominates the entrance, exuding water and obscuring its interior. Claire Fontaine's 'Chère R' presents a tiny pile of photocopies on the floor—a letter discussing riots, media discourse, and silence—while her video 'A fire is a fire is not a fire' loops footage of urban riots from the previous year, with a burning car that dissolves and reconstitutes through editing. Other artists contribute to the theme of liminality: Ghazel, Gilles Balmet, Bettina Samson, Vincent Lamouroux, and Benoît Broisat. The exhibition concludes with a confrontation between Broisat's painting of American troops, which reveals a three-dimensional image when viewed through special glasses, and Lamouroux's 'Unwinding, Corridor,' a series of neon lights on a black-painted wall. Laubard's curatorial approach highlights the impossibility of constructing an exhibition that does not also negate its own meaning, emphasizing critique without direct pointing.