Bert Theis: Utopies situées

We are delighted to invite you to the opening of the exhibition Bert Theis: Utopies situées at the Gennevilliers art center—Galerie Édouard-Manet, on Friday, October 2, from 6 to 9pm.

During a period marked by large-scale construction and property development projects in the second half of the twentieth century, artist Bert Theis (1952–2016) developed his practice at the intersection of activism, urban planning, and contemporary art networks.

“Known for a body of work marked by its social and environmental commitment, Bert Theis (Luxembourg, 1952–2016) established himself on the international scene in the 1990s as one of the leading figures of a generation of artists who opened up new perspectives on the way we think about public space. Throughout his career, he combined a conceptual and philosophical approach with site-specific and contextual interventions, creating spaces for social participation, community exchange and reflection on urban issues that took the form of platforms or pavilions. In doing so, he expanded the concept of site-specificity to that of audience-specificity, going so far as to define a form of art he termed “fight-specific”: art that takes a stand and acts as an advocate for urban struggles by championing existing dissident and anti-neoliberal voices. It is precisely for this reason that the title of the exhibition emphasises the concrete and embodied nature of his work. While the term “utopia” by definition refers to something unattainable or unrealised, in Theis’s work it refers to site-specific interventions embedded in specific locations, as evidenced by the constellation of his artistic projects, both permanent and temporary, in cities across Europe and Asia. This is particularly evident in Isola Art Centre, the long-term project he developed in Milan starting in 2001.”

Excerpt from the text by Marco Scotini.
Translator: Patrick Kremer

Bert Theis: Utopies situées invites the public to engage with the archive of the urban landscape, to reflect on ways of inhabiting public space, and to imagine greener neighbourhoods. Drawing on the concept of “situated knowledge”, the exhibition seeks to return to citizens the keys to understanding their city.

Although most of his works were created in situ, Bert Theis also took part in numerous events and exhibitions at MUDAM (2019), MAMCO (2007), the Pavillon de l’Arsenal (2015, 2016), Castello di Rivoli (2013), the Venice Biennale (1995), and the Istanbul Biennial (2007). His permanent installations can be found at Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge in Paris, Domaine Départemental de Chamarande, Luicciana di Cantagallo in Italy, as well as at the MNHA—National Museum of History and Art of Luxembourg.

Curated by Renaud Codron and Marco Scotini, in collaboration with Bert Theis Archive

With the support of Kultur | lx—Arts Council Luxembourg

Press and inquiries : T 01 40 85 67 40 / embamanet@ville-gennevilliers.fr