Magiciens de la Terre and the Politics of Display in Global Exhibitions
Pablo Lafuente's essay, part of Afterall's Exhibition Histories series, analyzes the 1989 exhibition 'Magiciens de la Terre' at Centre Georges Pompidou and Grande Halle de La Villette, Paris, curated by Jean-Hubert Martin. The show aimed to present Western and non-Western artists on equal footing, using the term 'magicien' instead of 'artist' to escape modernist constraints. Lafuente contrasts it with MoMA's 1941 'Indian Art of the United States' and 1984–85 'Primitivism' exhibition, highlighting a shift from representing non-Western cultures through objects to including artists as active subjects. He argues that 'Magiciens de la Terre' decontextualized artists, claiming universal equality while ignoring socio-political contexts, leading to accusations of neocolonialism. The essay explores display as a medium that can either reinforce or challenge identity politics, proposing an alternative history of exhibitions that treat objects as agents. It references exhibitions like 'When Attitudes Become Form' (1969), 'The Other Story' (1989), and documenta 12 (2007) to trace evolving curatorial practices. Lafuente concludes that the exhibition form itself is a space where nothing belongs, enabling new relations among objects, artists, and viewers.
Key facts
- Pablo Lafuente wrote the essay for Afterall's Exhibition Histories series.
- Published on 20 April 2013.
- 'Magiciens de la Terre' took place at Centre Georges Pompidou and Grande Halle de La Villette, Paris, 18 May–14 August 1989.
- Curatorial team led by Jean-Hubert Martin, including Mark Francis, Aline Luque, and André Magnin.
- Exhibition presented over 100 artists, half from West, half from non-West.
- Used term 'magicien' instead of 'artist' to avoid modernist framing.
- Contrasted with MoMA's 'Indian Art of the United States' (1941) and 'Primitivism' in 20th Century Art (1984–85).
- Criticized for neocolonialist attitude and fictitious equality.
- References 'When Attitudes Become Form' (1969) by Harald Szeemann at Kunsthalle Bern.
- References 'The Other Story' (1989) by Rasheed Araeen at Hayward Gallery, London.
- References documenta 12 (2007) curated by Roger M. Buergel and Ruth Noack.
- Discusses ethno-aesthetics and anthropology's role in exhibition-making.
- Proposes alternative history including Lina Bo Bardi and Georges Henri Rivière.
- Essay argues display can enact inclusion/exclusion beyond identity politics.
Entities
Artists
- Pablo Lafuente
- Jean-Hubert Martin
- Mark Francis
- Aline Luque
- André Magnin
- René d'Harnoncourt
- Wesner Philidor
- Harald Szeemann
- William Rubin
- Kirk Varnedoe
- Thomas McEvilley
- Edmund Carpenter
- Bronisław Malinowski
- Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
- André Malraux
- Roger M. Buergel
- Ruth Noack
- Lina Bo Bardi
- Georges Henri Rivière
- John McCracken
- Clémentine Deliss
- Rasheed Araeen
- Okwui Enwezor
- Catherine David
- Leopold Senghor
- Tom Phillips
- Paulo Herkenhoff
- Alice Creischer
- Max Jorge Hinderer
- Andreas Siekmann
- Benoît de L'Estoile
- Jacques Rancière
- Bruno Latour
- Philippe Descola
- Eduardo Viveiros de Castro
- Franz Boas
- Christopher B. Steiner
- Sally Price
- Souleymane Bachir Diagne
- Elizabeth Harney
- Francisco Godoy Vega
- Lucy Steeds
- Jean-Marc Poinsot
- Rachel Weiss
- Christian Rattemeyer
- Marlene Belillos
- André Gazut
- Gianfranco Barberi
- Marco di Castri
Institutions
- Afterall
- Centre Georges Pompidou
- Grande Halle de La Villette
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Kunsthalle Bern
- Hayward Gallery
- Whitechapel Art Gallery
- Malmö Konsthall
- Guggenheim Museum
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Museum Villa Stuck
- Haus der Kulturen der Welt
- Martin-Gropius-Bau
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
- P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
- Musée de l'Homme
- Museu d'Arte Popular
- Grazer Kunstverein
- Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
- Museo Nacional de Arte
- Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore
- Bienal de La Habana
- Bienal de São Paulo
- documenta 12
- Television Suisse Romande
- Flammarion
- Duke University Press
- University of Chicago Press
- Seagull Books
- Allworth Press
- Cambridge University Press
- Gallimard
- La Découverte
- Quae
- FORMER WEST
- Red Conceptualismos del Sur
- Tate Britain
- TrAIN
- Indianapolis Museum of Art
- Expo 92
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Paris
- France
- Bern
- Switzerland
- London
- United Kingdom
- Malmö
- Sweden
- Munich
- Germany
- Berlin
- Chicago
- Graz
- Austria
- Vienna
- Madrid
- Spain
- La Paz
- Bolivia
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Kassel
- Salvador de Bahia
- Seville
- Africa
- Polynesia
- South America
- Tajikistan
Sources
- Afterall —