L'ARGENT AT LE PLATEAU

Matthieu Laurette, 'ART=CAPITAL=SPECTACLE', 2006

L'ARGENT
15 June - 17 August 2008

In an era dominated – in art, as elsewhere – by the omnipresent issue of
profitability, this exhibition offers a partial survey of artistic
approaches challenging the social role of money, from the early 20th century
up until the present. This has been a great chance to bring together works
by Manet, Yves Klein, Andy Warhol, Ernest T., Claire Fontaine, Société
Réaliste and others. In the context of a rampant capitalism for which the
power of the market is all, art is no longer just a sound investment or an
aesthetic refuge. Now thoroughly – and symptomatically – integrated into the
capitalist system, it can provide a better, faster return on investment than
some top shares. In such a setting it is logical to give a hearing to
artists, individually or in groups, whose work falls within the shadow of
stock-market fluctuations. The exhibition L'Argent ("Money") comprises three
complementary sections. It begins with a wall of photocopies of works of art
addressing the money issue. In turn the public can take possession of the
reproductions and touch works of art that very few institutions can afford
to borrow. The exhibition then lingers over the period 1970–80, during which
artists decided to infiltrate the institutional network and denounce the
underhanded transactions that had become an everyday feature of the scene.
In a third and final part, Le Plateau is given over to site-specific works
focusing right now, in 2008, on the unique, universal touchstone that is
money.


*With works by*: Adel Abdessemed, Fikret Atay, Fabio Balducci & Sophie
Calle, Iain Baxter, Philippe Cazal, Claude Closky, Moyra Davey, Wim Delvoye,
Tracey Emin, Et n'est-ce *&/et, Malachi Farrell, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Sylvie
Fleury, Claire Fontaine, Michel François, Gloria Friedmann, General Idea,
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, David Hammons, Thomas Hirschhorn, IFP, Michel
Journiac, Edward Kienholz & Nancy Reddin, Ben Kinmont, Olga Kisseleva,
Arnaud Labelle-Rojoux, Suzanne Lafont, Matthieu Laurette, Bertrand Lavier,
Louise Lawler, Zoe Leonard, Les ready-made appartiennent à tout le monde (R),
Gilles Mahé, Kris Martin, Cildo Meireles, Annette Messager, Antoni Muntadas,
Marylène Negro, Cady Noland, Orlan, Gabriel Orozco, Ouest-Lumière, Cesare
Pietroiusti & Paul Griffith, Josephine Pryde, Claude Rutault, Seth
Siegelaub, Santiago Sierra, Société Réaliste, Reena Spaulings, Ernest T,
Taroop & Glabel, the Centre of Attention, Joana Vasconcelos, Dana Wyse, la
Biennale de Paris.

* Curated by: Caroline Bourgeois and Elisabeth Lebovici.

LE PLATEAU / FRAC Ile de France
Angle de la rue des alouettes et de la rue carducci 75019 Paris
Place Hannah Arendt
Tel : 01 53 19 84 10
www.fracidf-leplateau.com