Tag Archive for: Exhibition
Portrait artist Cédric Matet and digital artist Jane Kleis are back to present their work “The Anatomy of the Secretary” as part of the exhibition “Les Aliénés du Mobilier national, le retour” at the Cité de la photographie et de l’image in Paris.
Cédric Matet and Jane Kleis are no strangers to our faculty…
After a residency at the Conservatory of Anatomy at the Montpellier School of Medicine for the exhibition “L’humain dans son Jardin,” the artists were inspired to create the exhibition “Les Aliénés.”
But what exactly is this exhibition organized by Le Mobilier National?
It is important to note that this facility, located in Paris, has countless pieces of furniture in storage that are unused and have lost their heritage value.
He chose to entrust some of his pieces to visual artists with the aim of revitalizing the collections of the former Royal Storage Facility. That is how Jane Kleis and Cédric Matet were invited to reinterpret a 19th-century secretary desk that had been forgotten by everyone.
Like an anatomical model, the visual artist and the photographer sought to understand and thus reveal the secret of this 19th-century writing desk. The writing desk is a piece of furniture that is both functional and decorative. It consists of a drop-down lid that allows for the storage of documents or valuable objects. The artists chose to focus on the anatomical aspect of the piece. They photographed the various parts of the secretary desk, from the base to the drawers, striving to reveal its beauty and complexity.
*The Anatomy of the Secretary* was then created following a long period of exploratory work as a continuation of their residency at our faculty.
The artists dissected the piece of furniture to understand its essence and the complexity of its craftsmanship, thereby revealing its hidden beauty. Without compromising the piece, it is now on full display for everyone to see.
Through contemporary art, the goal is to give heritage a voice once again, allowing it to come back to life.
The exhibition by Cédric Matet and Jane Kleis is a true invitation to contemplation. It allows us to see a piece of furniture in a new light and to appreciate it for its beauty and complexity. The exhibition “Les Aliénés du Mobilier national, le retour” is a unique opportunity to discover an exceptional object.
Both of the artist's exhibitions reflect his interest in the beauty and complexity of nature. They invite us to see the world around us with fresh eyes.
This exhibition runs through January 2, 2024.
The anatomy museum continues to fulfill its educational role for our healthcare students, and the proof is that it educates doctors as well as artists!
During the week of October 16–20, 2023, the faculty will host the exhibition “That Crab That Pins Us Down,” and Barbara PASTRE GLATZ (La Montpellier Reine) will organize a lecture in which the models featured in the exhibition will share stories about their new lives.
We hope to see many of you there on Thursday, October 19, at 6:00 p.m. in the UPM lecture hall on the Arnaud de Villeneuve Health Campus.
Students from the Montpellier Artistic Project (MAP) association invite you to join them in analyzing a scene from Godard’s film *Contempt* during the special exhibition by artist Sylvain Fraysse at the Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. We met with them to discuss this unique project.
How did this project come about?
The“Camille” project was launched in 2022, born out of a desire among members of the Montpellier Artistic Project to introduce students at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine to new art forms. The MAP’s 2021–2022 executive board reached out to the Regional Contemporary Art Fund (FRAC) with the aim of creating a joint project, and this led to a collaboration with Sylvain Fraysse, a visual artist, and Céline Mélissent, who is in charge of public engagement and the promotion of the FRAC’s collection.
What does this artistic experience entail for visitors?
The exhibition is a sensory experience of light and sound based on Jean-Luc Godard’s film *Contempt *. The artist uses the Dissection Room in the Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine to “dissect” a scene from the film. In this iconic scene, the director lists the parts of Camille’s body—one of the main characters, played by Brigitte Bardot—in the manner of a dissection. Sylvain Fraysse recreates the scene’s color filters using gelatin sheets on the dissection room’s windows and also splits the film’s original soundtrack into 24 frequencies. In this way, he dissects the very essence of the scene.
What exactly is MAP?
The “Montpellier Artistic Project” is a nonprofit organization under the French Law of 1901, founded in August 2020 by three medical students who wanted to organize artistic activities within the faculty.
Over the past three years, the MAP board has expanded, and we now offer a variety of workshops and activities across our four areas of focus: Applied Arts, Public Speaking, Literary Arts, and Culinary Arts. To this end, we provide materials and introductory sessions for various artistic practices, and we also organize art contests on our social media platforms, as well as a public speaking contest each semester.
You can find us through our mascot, a chameleon named Léon Art, on Facebook and on our Instagram account.
Why is this project important to you?
It is important to us because it allows us to bring the Faculty’s historic building to life by opening a room that has never before been open to the public, and thus gives the association a new boost by taking us beyond our usual workshops. We’ve learned a great deal from this project, and we hope students and visitors will enjoy it. Furthermore, we’re very proud to be part of Montpellier’s bid to become the 2028 Capital of Culture and to be able to contribute to the city’s cultural life. It’s a vibrant experience that brings students together.
What kind of support have you been able to gather?
We had the opportunity to work with Sylvain Fraysse and the FRAC through Céline Mélissent, who served as our primary point of contact during the development of this project. The project was selected to be part of Montpellier’s bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028, which allowed us to receive financial support for the exhibition. The TaM supported us by allowing us to install posters at select tram and bus stops throughout the metropolitan area to promote the exhibition.
We also received support from the University of Montpellier (UM) through the Student Initiative Solidarity Fund (FSDIE) and the UM Arts and Culture Department—notably Eléonore Szturemski—as well as from the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. We would like to extend a special thank you to Dean Isabelle Laffont and Professor Gérald Chanques for their support and logistical assistance.
Practical Information About the Exhibition
Historic Building of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine
2 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine
34000 Montpellier
Exhibition open to the public from March 22 to April 18:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Students participating in the guided tours during these open house days, on a self-guided tour.
On Tuesdays, guided tours will be led by students in the master’s program in cultural mediation at the Faculty of Education in Montpellier.
- Tuesday, March 28, and April 4 and 11 at 3 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 18, at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Additional mediation sessions offered by association members will be announced at a later date on the event’s Facebook page.
Inspired by the Jardin des Plantes and its historic herbarium, discover the “Botanica” exhibition curated by Christelle Boulé as part of the Boutographie Festival. From Saturday, May 7, through Sunday, May 29, enjoy a floral stroll right in the heart of the Orangerie.
Outreach Programming
Each year, the Boutographie festival offers a parallel program that creates a circuit through various cultural venues in Montpellier. Originally scheduled for 2019 but canceled due to the health crisis, the Jardin des Plantes is hosting the Botanica project this year—a series of 15 paintings paying tribute to its botanical collections. To learn more about the project’s origins and inspirations, we spoke with artist Christelle Boullé.
What is your background?
I grew up in Montreal and studied art. I later decided to switch to graphic design and earned a bachelor’s degree in 2009. After moving to Lausanne, Switzerland, I worked for four years as a graphic designer at an agency. Following that experience, I decided to resume my studies and enrolled in the Master’s program in photography at ECAN, a world-renowned school, from 2014 to 2016. That’s when I began approaching photography the way I do today—in an experimental manner, particularly through a series I created on the theme of perfume. It involves working in a darkroom, much like with film photography, but in this case, the photos are developed in color. I love it when a photo is unique, and this technique provides a playground for creativity.
Tell us about the Les Boutographies project
In 2017, I submitted my graduation project to exhibit at the Pavillon Populaire. I was contacted again in late 2019 for an “Hors les Murs” exhibition, which showcases various photo series throughout Montpellier. They reached out to me because I work with materials. I really like the Boutographies project because it helps showcase emerging artists; it’s very refreshing and gives us the chance to discover projects that don’t get as much exposure.
What about the Botanica project?
This invitation is a wonderful gift. I had been working for two or three years on ways to represent fragrance when the Boutographies came up with this idea in collaboration with the Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier. So I began researching this place and was immediately inspired. It’s a fantastic spot. I watched documentaries and news reports to discover the richness of the herbariums, which immediately caught my interest. I wanted to connect with the material and pay homage to nature, scents, and forms. So I set out to create a timeless garden—one we could have in our own homes or that might have existed 300 years ago—to bridge the past and the future.
What was your creative process for the Jardin des Plantes?
I didn’t go to the Jardin des Plantes; I decided to imagine it and let myself be inspired. So I turned to my friends who had traveled to places like Japan or Canada and taken photos of plants. My work was based on my research and, above all, on my interpretation of what the Jardin might be like.
Launched in 2020, the Botanica photography series is not yet complete, and Christelle Boulé is continuing to work on it.
To experience an explosion of color, visit the Orangerie throughout the month of May!
