Thierry Kuntzel's 'Lumières du temps' at Le Fresnoy and Nantes

The exhibition 'Lumières du temps' dedicated to Thierry Kuntzel was held at Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains from February 4 to April 9, 2006, and at the Musée des beaux-arts de Nantes from February 10 to May 4, 2006. Curated by Raymond Bellour, the show avoided chronological presentation, instead grouping works from 1979 to 2006. It opened with silent images of a wheat field from 'Une lettre' (referencing Hugo von Hofmannsthal) and closed with 'The Waves (The Years)' featuring Frank Sinatra's voice. Key installations included 'Tu' (a series of photographic portraits and an animated image exploring the impossibility of reviving the artist's childhood self, with a morphing mask referencing death), 'Nostos 1' (described as 'lacunar, indecisive, hypothetical'), and 'Moins une' (a sound piece linking the four seasons with text by Thomas Bernhard). At Nantes, the 'Quatre Saisons' were displayed in a staggered layout in the patio, with 'Moins une' in the central space. These video installations, inspired by Poussin's paintings, placed the body at the center: Ken Moody's caressed body in 'Été – Double vue', statuesque bodies in 'Printemps (Pas de printemps)', and a body reduced to a white sheet in 'Hiver (La mort de Robert Walser)'. The exhibition highlighted Kuntzel's melancholic yet luminous aesthetic, weaving together painting, literature, cinema, and poetry.