Retour sur l'abîme: Art Confronts Genocide in Major Exhibition
The exhibition titled 'Retour sur l'abîme – L'art à l'épreuve du génocide' showcases approximately fifty artists across various locations, focusing on the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma during World War II. Curated by Philippe Cyroulnik and Nicolas Surlapierre, it features pieces by artists who were killed, survivors, and contemporary creators such as Christian Boltanski, Adel Abdessemed, and Miroslaw Balka. This exhibition delves into the challenges of creating art post-Auschwitz, emphasizing themes of absence, memory, and testimony. Highlights include Wladyslaw Strzeminski's 1945 sketches, Yael Bartana's film 'Mary Koszmary', and Adel Abdessemed's reinterpretation of a Warsaw Ghetto photograph. It emphasizes that while art cannot completely encapsulate this reality, it persistently engages with the void.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'Retour sur l'abîme – L'art à l'épreuve du génocide'
- Around fifty artists included
- Curated by Philippe Cyroulnik and Nicolas Surlapierre
- Held across multiple venues
- Addresses extermination of Jews and Roma during WWII
- Features artists murdered in camps, survivors, and contemporary artists
- Includes Christian Boltanski, Adel Abdessemed, Miroslaw Balka
- Wladyslaw Strzeminski's 1945 drawings 'A mes amis les juifs'
- Yael Bartana's film 'Mary Koszmary'
- Sylvie Blocher's 'Nuremberg'
- Pascal Convert's diptych with Treblinka survivor text
- Adel Abdessemed's 'Mon enfant' based on Warsaw Ghetto boy photo
- Anthony Vérot's hyperrealistic drawings of camp guards
- Jean-Marc Cerino paints on glass from documentary photos
- Benjamin Swaim inks pages of book on occupied Paris
- Dominique Dehais' swastika display with photos of looted goods
- Carlos Kusnir's diptych revealing swastika behind floral painting
Entities
Artists
- Christian Boltanski
- Adel Abdessemed
- Miroslaw Balka
- Wladyslaw Strzeminski
- Yael Bartana
- Sylvie Blocher
- Pascal Convert
- Anthony Vérot
- Jean-Marc Cerino
- Benjamin Swaim
- Dominique Dehais
- Carlos Kusnir
- Philippe Cyroulnik
- Nicolas Surlapierre
Institutions
- artpress
Locations
- Nuremberg
- Treblinka
- Warsaw
- Paris
Sources
- artpress —