All roads lead to Schengen
May 22–October 4, 2015
Opening: Thursday, May 21, 7pm
49 Nord 6 Est – Frac Lorraine
1bis rue des Trinitaires
F-57000 Metz
“People on the move,” compulsive travelers, eternal passersby through history…their path is now barred by the gates of “Fort Europe,” nevertheless built under the sign of free movement.
It is impossible to turn a deaf ear to Tania Mouraud’s call—”How Can You Sleep?”—which echoes within the august walls of FRAC, and ignore the life force and the energy of those human beings whom we assail with our doom and gloom, that is, with our sedentary lifestyles.
Why should the reception of foreigners be viewed today as a “scourge” afflicting our closed-off societies? This is an important topic of shared reflection in the regions surrounding Schengen (Luxembourg), which, not too long ago, experienced an exodus to Algeria, and even now are a thoroughfare for Gypsy caravans.
From the figure of the wandering Jew to the often-ignored figure of the woman migrant, the present project draws an analogy between constantly shifting populations and the recent Western craze for walking. With or without walking sticks, the new pilgrims cross paths with amateur athletes, and there’s hardly a trail without active walkers! Is walking itself a cure for today’s ills?…for the closing off of our society?
Putting side by side artists’ projects and activist archives and rewriting the history of movements
and struggle from women’s perspective means raising awareness and challenging hasty opinions … even, and above all, if one has to start with one’s feet!
This exhibition is completed by numerous walking tours between Metz (France) and Schengen (Luxembourg)
Artists: Ursula Biemann, Justine Blau, Marta Caradec, Marco Godinho, Bouchra Khalili, Beat Lippert, Tania Mouraud, Claudia Passeri, Mathieu Pernot, Zineb Sedira & focus on: unpublished archival material and testimonies
Group visits in English upon request: mediation [at] fraclorraine.org
Complete schedule of events is available on our website: www.fraclorraine.org
The Frac Lorraine enjoys financial backing from the Lorraine Regional Council and the DRAC Lorraine at the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
