La Criée Director Sophie Kaplan on Vernacular and Contemporary Art Cycle

Sophie Kaplan, director of La Criée in Rennes, discusses the cycle "Lili, la rozell et le marimba (vernaculaire et création contemporaine)" running through 2021. The program explores relationships between vernacular cultures and contemporary creation, featuring monographic exhibitions by artists including Seulgi Lee, Éléonore Saintagnan, Amadou Sanogo, Mathis Collins, and Jockum Nordström. Kaplan emphasizes a "multi-localism" approach, connecting local Breton contexts with global practices. The cycle includes a journal with polylogues by an editorial committee. Artists engage with local materials, traditions, and savoir-faire, such as Saintagnan's use of local wood and bark, and Lee's incorporation of Breton songs and international crafts. Kaplan argues vernacular is not limited to rural or past practices but includes urban contemporary cultures like hip-hop and voguing. The term's etymology from Latin "vernaculus" (home-born slave) informs discussions on power dynamics between local and global, dominant and minority cultures. The cycle aims to foster understanding of shared human experiences through specific, situated artistic practices.