Saâdane Afif's Blue Time Unfolds at IAC Villeurbanne

Saâdane Afif's exhibition at the Institut d'art contemporain de Villeurbanne (IAC) from March 1 to April 28, 2013, centers on his practice of commissioning song lyrics from nearly seventy authors. The show is structured around the song 'Blue Time,' commissioned in 2004 from Lili Reynaud-Dewar, which tells the story of a failed musician. Afif uses adhesive hologram letters to display lyrics on walls, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The exhibition functions as a retrospective labyrinth, with each room evoking a past show where 'Blue Time' appeared, such as 'Melancholic Beat,' '58:22 and some words,' and 'L'S Bells.' Posters from these exhibitions are gathered in the first room as a prologue. Works are adapted to the venue, like 'Brume (la falaise d'Étretat),' a highway sign scaled to Courbet's painting, and new pieces are produced, including the screen 'Contrariété' and fabric curtains 'Et l'éternité.' Afif repurposes exhibition labels to disseminate texts, constructs scenes with reclaimed pedestals, and merges works like 'Blue Time' and 'Suspense' into 'Blue Time vs Suspense.' Two maquettes serve as theatrinos, with their miniature sets becoming monumental sculptures. The exhibition is both a diagram of Afif's oeuvre and an image of forward momentum. A new song will be performed by an actor at a portable Speaker's Corner in Villeurbanne streets at the exhibition's close.