subréel: Light and Perception in Contemporary Art at MAC Marseille

The exhibition 'subréel' at MAC/galeries contemporaines des musées de Marseille (July 7 – October 13, 2002) explores the survival of fantastic forms rooted in the methodical and scientific observation of perception and psyche, reacting against the pervasive representation of the social in contemporary art. Curated by Emmanuel Hermange, the show features 18 artists including Carsten Höller, whose 'Light Corner' (2001-2002) uses hundreds of electric bulbs synchronized with human neural activity, warning epileptics. Joëlle Tuerlinckx's 'Flashvision' (1997) blinds viewers with random photographer flashes, while Ann Veronica Janssens' 'Représentation d'un corps rond' (1996-2001) places the body inside a light beam in artificial fog. Tacita Dean's film 'The Green Ray' (2001) loops the natural phenomenon, described by curators as 'fatally disappointing' after works by Verne, Duchamp, and Rohmer. Other artists address sleep, dreams (Jim Shaw), somniloquy (Laurent Montaron), psychic disorder (Laurent Grasso), moving landscapes (Michel Blazy, Berdaguer & Péjus), and psychological trauma (Eija-Liisa Ahtila). The exhibition engages with a 19th-century heritage of scientific and literary references, as analyzed by Tzvetan Todorov, tracing influences from Poe through Roussel to Duchamp.