Spring 2021 exhibition program

At the beginning of this year, les Abattoirs are offering several large exhibitions focusing on two major themes: fabric and Africa.

Fabric and clothing:

Under the Thread: The Art of Fabric in the Collections of Daniel Cordier and les Abattoirs
From October 10, 2020 to May 30, 2021

This exhibition is exclusively devoted to fabric in all its many forms: woven, stitched, stretched, cut, torn, reinterpreted, embroidered, painted, shaped, and worn. Creations from across the continents have been selected from the Daniel Cordier collection and are displayed alongside works by contemporary artists.

With works by: Babi Badalov, Rina Banerjee, Mathieu Boisadan, Mohamed Bourouissa, Guillaume Bresson, Alberto Burri, Pia Camil, Pauline Curnier Jardin, Sabine Deshais, Tracey Emin, Esther Ferrer, Anna Franceschini, Loïe Fuller, Hessie, General Idea, Isabelle Jarousse, Horst Egon Kalinowski, Lawrence Lemaoana, Lumière brothers, Juana Polo Mamaii, Robert Mapplethorpe, Senzeni Marasela, Teresa Margolles, Fatima Mazmouz, Myriam Mihindou, Manolo Millares, Robert Morris, Zanele Muholi, Présence Panchounette, François Rouan, Patrick Saytour, Annegret Soltau, Nicolas Simarik, Michael E. Smith, Clément Thomas, Béatrice Utrilla, Claude Viallat, Gisèle Vienne, Lawrence Weiner and unknown artists from Japan, Mali, Uzbekistan, Peru, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Curator: Annabelle Ténèze

Marion Baruch: A Retrospective
From December 16, 2020 to May 30, 2021

This exhibition devoted to Marion Baruch (born in 1929 Romania; lives in Gallarate, Italy) presents about a hundred historical works, as well as an installation designed by the artist specifically for les Abattoirs.

Her work is marked by commitment and the search for a new language of art. The exhibition spans a period of time from the 60s when she used fabrics for performances to the present day and builds on the artist’s questioning of herself as a brand. In the late 80s she turned herself into a company called Name Diffusion. In the last years, the artist collects textile waste thrown away by the fashion industry. She selects the fabrics for their color or material, suspends them, or stretches them, thus employing them as a backdrop for her reflection on the environment and consumption in history and contemporary society. 

The Marion Baruch exhibition is in partnership with the Kunstmuseum Luzern (Switzerland) and is supported by the AG2R LA MONDIALE Corporate Foundation for Artistic Vitality.

Curators: Noah Stolz and Annabelle Ténèze

Fernand Léger: Tapestries and Ceramics
From December 16, 2020 to February 21, 2021

Les Abattoirs is presenting an exhibition that brings together a dozen or so artworks, tapestries, and ceramics by Fernand Léger.

Africa at les Abattoirs:

Beyond What We See. Once Upon A Time, Once Upon A Future
From December 16, 2020 to May 30, 2021

Instant knowledge and technological know-how are two forces that have radically changed what it means to live and exist today. The consequences of these phenomena have accelerated since the creation of the Internet in 1989. The speed of changes now seem to exceed our capacity to integrate them and understand their implications, and the year 2020 is a perfect example of this, having highlighted our global entanglement. This exhibition brings together African women artists who share questions about ways of exchange and transmission technologies in contemporary societies which, beyond Africa, find resonance in the rest of the world, particularly today. What role did orality play yesterday, does it play today? And will it play tomorrow? 

With works by: Meriem Bennani, Contemporary And (C&), Amira Hanafi, Nicène Kossentini, Betelhem Makonnen, Bhavisha Panchia, Fatimah Tuggar, Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa.

This exhibition takes place in the context of the Africa2020 Season, with the support of AFD and Sipromad Group. This exhibition is supported by the Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris.

Curators: Missla Libsekal, with Annabelle Ténèze

Africa In All Its States of Art: African Artists from the Collection
From October 15, 2020 to May 30, 2021

Les Abattoirs brings together works by African artists from its collection, throughout its various exhibitions and invites several artists.

Due to government measures, the museum is currently closed.