Panorama 13 at Le Fresnoy: Bernard Marcadé Curates Student and Faculty Works

Bernard Marcadé curated Panorama 13 at Le Fresnoy, Studio national des arts contemporains in Tourcoing, from June 9 to July 24, 2011. The annual exhibition presents works by 48 student-artists and 4 artist-professors. Marcadé avoided a flashy curatorial concept, instead drawing inspiration from the venue's architecture and pedagogy. The scenography uses container-like structures, echoing Bernard Tschumi's design of the building as "boxes in a box." The exhibition, titled "aventures en transit," reflects the temporary nature of the artists' two-year residency. Works include Dorian Gaudin's self-collapsing wall evoking multiple conflict zones; Alexandre Maubert's film of the gated community Nordelta in Argentina, made with Matias Mesa (Steadicam operator for Gus Van Sant's Elephant and Gerry); Éric Giraudet de Boudemange's model of WWII bomb-testing German-style buildings in Utah's desert, paired with a video reenacting dialogue from the anti-Nazi film Hitler's Children (1943); Simon Leibovitz-Grzeszcak's installation conflating historical references amid Anglo-German naval warfare (1914-18); Balthazar Auxietre's virtual reality piece Eidolon, a post-mortem journey into a 3D paradise inspired by video games; and artist-professor Christian Rizzo's ghostly dancing apparition. The exhibition emphasizes outward-looking, displaced perspectives over introspection.