Wander, Labyrinthine Variations follows Masterpieces? as the second major thematic exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz. Wander, Labyrinthine Variations is an international group exhibition, which takes its cue from the model of the labyrinth, tackling the notions of straying, loss and wandering as well as their various representations in contemporary art. Mystical, archaic forms, labyrinths and mazes are examined here as metaphors. They form complex figures that associate the image of non-linear progression through bends, curves, repentance and returns… whether architectural, mental, economic or structural in nature. The show itself is organised thematically according to a sinusoidal principle that follows the detours and polysemy of the subject itself, offering a loss of reference both figuratively as well as formally. It veers from an architectural maze to thoughtful meandering, from global political-economic chaos to disorientated contemporary urbanism, from bodily spatial confinement to maieutics, from exploded narration in cinema or literature to geometric abstraction as an eye-catcher. The exhibition is presented in eight themed parts, which develop the subject from an angle that is both conceptual and sensory. Painting, architecture, penetrable works, sculptures, films, maps and archaeological artefacts offer as many different perspectives on, and immersions in, these curious and surprising worlds. Beyond its historical references, Wander, Labyrinthine Variations sets out to represent certain contemporary aesthetic, political and intellectual trends of our era. It addresses the history of forms and ideas by challenging a strictly linear model or progressive vision. Instead, it multiplies possibilities, draws the visitor into zones of confusion, multiple choices and lays obstacles to our apprehending of what is real, with all that this implies in terms of adventurous speculation and uncertainty. Unfolded on 2,000 square metres across two of the gallery spaces at Centre Pompidou-Metz, the exhibition shows different generations of French and international artists, alongside major works from the Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne in Paris and important international collections. There will also be specific commissions by Matt Mullican, Public Space With a Roof and re-enacted pieces by Gianni Colombo, Gianni Pettena and Julio Le Parc. Wander, Labyrinthine Variations is also a game in the form of an enigma—The labyrinth in a valise—proposed by the independent curator Jean de Loisy. Curators: Hélène Guenin, Head of Department – Curator of Exhibitions and Performance Arts, Centre Pompidou-Metz Guillaume Désanges, Independent Curator and Art Critic Artists: Vito Acconci Bas Jan Ader Jacques Fabien Gautier d’Agoty Francis Alÿs Carl Andre Art & Language : Michael Baldwin & Mel Ramsden Saul Bass Didier Beaufort Christophe Berdaguer & Marie Péjus Lee Bontecou Ian Breakwell Santiago Ramón y Cajal Vija Celmins Paul Citroën Henri-Georges Clouzot Guy de Cointet Gianni Colombo Constant (Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys, dit) Coop Himmelb(l)au : Wolf D. Prix & Helmut Swiczinsky Guy Debord Agnes Denes Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid Julien Discrit Gino de Dominicis Marcel Duchamp Viking Eggeling David-Georges Emmerich Harun Farocki León Ferrari Michel François & François Curlet Yona Friedman Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt,dite) Joseph Grigely Richard Hamilton Mona Hatoum Thomas Hirschhorn & Marcus Steinweg Isidore Isou (Jean-Isidore Isou Goldstein, dit) Mike Kelley Toba Khedoori Abbas Kiarostami Frederick Kiesler Bela Kolárová Rem Koolhaas & Madelon Vriesendorp Zoe Zenghelis Elia Zenghelis Svetlana & Igor Kopystiansky Kisho Kurokawa Andreas Laurentius Julio Le Parc Augustin Lesage Barry Le Va Mark Lombardi Richard Long Kasimir Malevitch Corey McCorkle Henri Michaux Vera Molnár Robert Morris Nicolas Moulin Matt Mullican Rosalind Nashashibi Gianni Pettena Piranèse (Giovanni Battista Piranese, dit) Public Space With a Roof: Tamuna Chabashvili, Adi Hollander & Vesna Madzoski Jean Renaudie Alexandre Rodtchenko Nicolas Schöffer Robert Smithson Frank Stella Günther Uecker Isidoro Valcárcel Medina Aldo Van Eyck Raphaël Zarka Media contacts: Centre Pompidou-Metz Louise Moreau +33 (0)3 87 15 39 63 louise.moreau@centrepompidou-metz.fr Claudine Colin Communication Constance Gounod / Valentine Dolla +33 (0)1 42 72 60 01 centrepompidoumetz@claudinecolin.com