Contemporary Art Lecture – Session 5: Analysis of the FIAC (Paris Contemporary Art Fair) and Nuit Blanche

Text and images by Chen Chi-Hsiang

Contemporary Art Lecture – Session 5

Speaker: Chen Chi-Hsiang

Topic: Analysis of the "FIAC (French Contemporary Art Fair)" and "Nuit Blanche"

Time: January 6, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Planner: Pema Lamo

The FIAC (French Contemporary Art Fair) is a benchmark for globalized contemporary art exhibitions and the European market. Organized by the Paris Gallery Association, it is purely a field for commercial art transactions, with international collecting and acquisition as its ultimate commercial goal. In contrast, Nuit Blanche is a contemporary art performance led by the Paris City Hall and the French Ministry of Culture. It leverages abundant resources to coordinate the vitality and creative energy of French contemporary art, establishing Paris’s influence in leading global contemporary trends and fashion. Both major events championing contemporary art in Paris take place every autumn.

The "FIAC (French Contemporary Art Fair)": The Paris Contemporary Art Fair was founded in 1973 and has now matured over 43 years. It has long become an indispensable part of France's art system and the international contemporary art market, emerging as a battleground for the world's most watched international contemporary art markets. Held annually in late October when the weather is crisp and clear, the fair takes place at the Grand Palais in Paris, the window of France. It invites top Western galleries and non-Western galleries to participate. The FIAC has high standards for reviewing gallery qualifications and conditions; participating galleries must focus on exploring contemporary art, with Western contemporary galleries taking the lead.

In 2014, the Grand Palais FIAC hosted 191 galleries, and in 2015, 189 galleries. Last year, nearly 200 galleries from around the globe (from more than twenty countries) joined the event. The highest award of the French contemporary art scene, the Duchamp Prize, also has exhibition space created within this FAIC to attract the attention of global galleries. The exhibition area centers on the Grand Palais, with additional outdoor sculpture and object zones established in the Tuileries Garden in front of the Louvre, the Botanical Garden, Place Vendôme, etc. Last year, the Petit Palais opposite the Grand Palais was added as an exhibition zone, making the event quite grand. Located on the Champs-Élysées, arguably the most beautiful avenue in the world, its spatial setting is unmatched by other international contemporary art fairs. In recent years, the Grand Palais FIAC exhibition period lasts only four days, often opening on Thursday and closing on Sunday, with hours from afternoon until 10:00 pm. During the exhibition, various lectures and tours on contemporary art collecting topics are held, and since 2008, performing arts have been included.

During the fair, all sizes of galleries and museums in Paris simultaneously hold solo and special exhibitions to attract active global collectors, foundations, and curators. VVIP guest receptions and related activities occur throughout Paris. The FIAC has become the most important market transaction venue for global galleries, accounting for 30% to 40% of gallery sales volume. It serves as a flow of energy for galleries to promote the art market and a window to meet new collectors, becoming a benchmark for the international market and the Parisian market.

"Nuit Blanche": Whenever the weather is crisp and clear (the first night of autumn), Paris's most popular "Nuit Blanche" contemporary art street exhibition begins. Its uniqueness lies in being displayed for only one night, ending between 7:00 pm on the first Saturday of October and 7:00 am the following morning. "Nuit Blanche" was created in 2001 when Bertrand Delanoë, the first Socialist mayor of Paris, took office, based on the stance of democratizing contemporary art. The intention was to dissolve the barrier between contemporary art and the public, aiming for a popularization ideal like today's music festivals or Museum Days. Under the premise of sharing art among all citizens, it seeks to liberate social class consciousness through art.

"Nuit Blanche" now has a 15-year history and rightfully becomes a nighttime carnival for Parisians. It has become an institutionalized late-night contemporary art activity for the people of Paris. The annual renewal and enthusiastic participation of this event are beyond comparison with other activities. Leading the trend, "Nuit Blanche" has become a folk late-night activity emulated by major metropolises worldwide. It not only actively promotes contemporary art but also gives the public the opportunity to experience the aesthetic beauty of the Parisian metropolis at night, infusing the entire city with vibrant energy. It immerses the public in an artistic atmosphere, subtly influencing them, while further enhancing and strengthening cultural views in Paris's peripheral areas, injecting new vitality into Paris tourism and opening up unique urban prospects for Paris.

Paris's "Nuit Blanche" draws Parisians out to appreciate the beauty of their metropolis at night. Paris's day and night scenery are quite special, experienced deeply only by those who live there. Especially when the lights first come on, it is enchanting, with novel scenes everywhere outlining eye-catching nightscapes that are otherwise unseen. It is hard to imagine strolling alone on Paris streets at 3 or 4 am. One can imagine how Paris's "Sleepless Night" allows people to completely relax, open their minds and horizons to explore the unique aesthetic and poetic beauty of Paris's noble ladies at night, and appreciate the mysteries of contemporary art, unexpectedly immersing people in beauty with joy.

Each year, Paris's "Nuit Blanche" features different styles and attributes. It takes place in various corners of the Paris metropolis (they choose areas unrelated to art performances or marginalized populations, such as the 18th, 19th, 20th, or 13th districts in northern Paris), or along a metro line such as Line 14, from Olympiades station in the south to St-Lazare train station in the north. People can follow this metro route to visit continuously.

"Nuit Blanche" invites artists from various international backgrounds to participate in the grand event. Large-scale digital image environmental installations appear particularly spectacular under the starry night sky. Each is curated by different curators. For example, in 2007, two experts in organizing outdoor carnivals, Jerome Delormas (specializing in contemporary dance, visual arts, and digital arts) and Jean-Marie Songy (skilled in public space art activities), collaborated. Curator Songy said, "Under the meeting of my hyper-realistic world and Delormas's virtual realm of the people, there will be unexpected sparks." The theme for 2015 was "Climate Change," responding to the global climate conference held in Paris at the end of the year. Thus, this year's Nuit Blanche featured wind, rain, ice, thunder, clouds, fog, animal sounds, plants, and more, expressing artists' various views and perspectives on climate change.

The 2016 Nuit Blanche was curated by Tokyo Palace President Jean de Loisy, who said: "We hope to gather fans of Nuit Blanche together to celebrate with artists, and we built a story with them about beauty, mystery, and love." This year's Nuit Blanche activity was constructed along the gentle winding Seine River, on bridges, and on both banks, starting from the Arcole bridge (passing through City Hall and Notre Dame) at the core of the Paris City Hall, following the river to the island of Saint-Germain near Issy-les-Moulineaux in the suburbs (where there is a large Dubuffet sculpture).

< Speaker Introduction >: Chen Chi-Hsiang Professional sculptor and art critic (member of the International Association of Art Critics AICA). Expert in contemporary art history, amateur horticulturist, and expert in contemporary art history and urban greening. Born in Pingtung, Taiwan, in 1956, he graduated from the National College of Arts in 1979 and went to France in 1982, where he has resided in Paris for 35 years. He engages in artistic creation, dedicating himself to researching contemporary art trends and sharing concepts.

< Speaker Reference Materials >: Chen Chi-Hsiang Paris Contemporary Art Blog: www.titien.net Paris Theme Website: www.paris-my-city.com Related Works: Complete Collection of World Famous Paintings published by Artist Publishing House - Beuys / Western Garden Art / European Postmodern Art

< Event Registration Information >: Administrative Sponsor: Jing Lu Gallery To register, please contact nina@jingluart.com When emailing to register, please note "Contemporary Art Lecture" registration, and "note your contact phone number and number of registrants." (Seats are limited. Registered participants may pay to attend on-site.)

Event Location: Er Yue Cafe. No. 13-1 Qingtian Street, Taipei (Entrance of Lane 11) Event Method: Please register in advance. Lecture fee is 500 per person. Open quota: 20 seats.