黑料不打烊

For its autumn exhibition, the BPS22 welcomes the artists of La 鈥�"S" Grand Atelier, centre d'art brut & con颅tem颅po颅rain [centre for outsider and con颅tem颅po颅rary art] located in Vielsalm, in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes. Thanks to its geo颅graph颅i颅cal location 鈥� outside the typical art circuits 鈥� and its need for a direct and continuous connection with its studios (drawing, painting, textiles, printmaking, graphic sto颅ry颅telling, ceramics, digital work, music, dance), La 鈥�"S" swiftly began developing ground颅break颅ing co-creation residency projects. In doing so, La 鈥�"S" Grand Atelier has established itself over the past thirty years under the direction of Anne-Fran莽oise Rouche as a pioneering example of sharing and inter颅weav颅ing; a place where talents can flourish freely, where the usual 鈥�"disabled vs non-disabled" categories no longer apply, and where barriers between different art works are dismantled. In line with this decentring approach, BPS22 鈥� whose collections already include works of so-called Art Brut, outsider, singular, or marginal art 鈥� reaffirms its commitment to both social and artistic histories, as well as to the aesthetic, soci颅o颅log颅i颅cal, and insti颅tu颅tion颅al upheavals that have shaped the culture of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The title of the exhibition 鈥�"Nov锚 Salm" is a play on words coined by Mr Pimpant, an artist from La 鈥�"S". It references Ardennes folklores (the Witches鈥� Sabbath of the Macralles, spell-casting witches) as well as the Walloon etymology of Vielsalm (Viel Salm meaning 鈥�"old salmon"). Nov锚 Salm, or 鈥�"New Salm", imagines an ideal village as envisioned by the artists of La 鈥�"S" (who live with intel颅lec颅tu颅al dis颅abil颅i颅ties) and the guest artists in residence. Inventing a universe of creativity and collective life, the artists at La 鈥�"S" reimagine the world, dis颅re颅gard颅ing conventions and standards of performance or perfection. Taking as its starting point this symbolic concept of a new village where a collective spirit is at work, the exhibition offers a narrative journey through all of the BPS22 spaces.

On the edges of this Land of Salm, where forest legends and beliefs permeate the imagination of its founders, the artists reflect on the forest region surrounding the La 鈥�"S" studios, a setting that often influences its works and col颅lab颅o颅ra颅tions. Plunged into semi-darkness, the museum鈥檚 first room is thus designed as a natural, mystical environment, filled with obstacles that these artists take on and creatively transform. Following this come themes such as human fragility, resilience in the face of illness and disability, and the power of creative cooperation. There is also the highly pertinent question of the different forms of language (verbal, non-verbal, invented, adapted, etc.) that lie at the heart of these exchanges and artistic output.

Beneath the glass roof of the BPS22, the exhibition explores the core of the La 鈥�"S" studios 鈥� spaces of sharing, where all the obsessions and desires that drive each individual come together: love, the body, vehicles, the individual house, the banquet, cinema, Johnny Hallyday, and more. All these themes are explored through such varied media as graphic works, three-dimensional pieces, instal颅la颅tions, sound pieces, videos, 3D animation and digital creations, musical per颅for颅mances, and pub颅li颅ca颅tions. Whether or not they have a mental disability, the artists experiment with every possible medium and address everything that fuels art and life!