Terre natale: Depardon and Virilio at Fondation Cartier

The Fondation Cartier in Paris presented 'Terre natale', a dual exhibition from November 21, 2008 to March 15, 2009, pairing environmental awareness approaches by Raymond Depardon and Paul Virilio. Depardon showed two documentary film series: interviews on land and language in the main hall, and a wordless 14-day world tour film in a smaller room. Critics found the interview sequence rushed and the travelogue superficial, lacking the depth of Depardon's earlier works like 'San Clemente' or 'Profils paysans'. In the basement, Virilio's installation featured a life-size projection of the thinker discussing sedentariness and nomadism, contrasting a sedentary, mobile North with a South of people without land, papers, or rights. The most innovative element was a circular screen displaying data on natural disasters and migrations over 15 years, creating a panoramic, macroscopic view. While the installation effectively generated Virilio's critique of modernity and catastrophe, it blurred distinctions between natural disasters and premeditated acts like war, reducing them to spectacle. The exhibition was reviewed by Christophe Catsaros for artpress.