Pascal Convert Proposes Art School Pavilion for 2017 Venice Biennale

Pascal Convert has proposed transforming the French pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale into an art school, responding to a surge in applications to French art schools. Convert's exhibition is currently on view at Galerie Eric Dupont until May 25. The selection process for the French pavilion now involves a competition; for 2015, Tatiana Trouvé and Céleste Boursier-Mougenot remain contenders. Convert observes that thousands of young people now compete for limited places in art schools across France, with 700 candidates at Toulouse, 500 at Montpellier, 800 at Nantes, and 1,000 at Lyon. Some institutions have created preparatory classes modeled after prestigious literary and scientific prep schools. Convert attributes this trend to younger generations' immersion in images and their awareness of societal shifts toward a 'society of fiction.' He criticizes the French Ministry of Culture for attempting to place art schools under university control for a decade, following European directives, which has sparked crises at major schools. Convert envisions the pavilion as a 'drunken boat' offering a space for youthful experimentation and imagination, countering what he sees as a political focus on preserving a dead past.