Paris, I'm Back

Paris, I'm back. The City of Flowers remains as charming and enchanting as ever. I have returned to my familiar haven of tenderness, my refuge—home. Although it's drizzly and a bit cold in the City of Flowers, the buds on the treetops have already sparked the fire of spring. Beyond the spatial and temporal distance from Paris, there's also the temperature difference (nearly twenty degrees Celsius difference from Taiwan), returning from the sweltering early summer of Taiwan to the dreamland of the frigid zone—Paris. I quickly adapted as the environment follows the mind's transformation. Although a bit chilly, returning to a gentle home is always warm; just add a few more layers of warm clothing, no big problem, and soon I was immersed in Parisian life.

The art capital and the city of flowers have many captivating aspects that other cities cannot replace. Beyond the inherent texture and beauty of the metropolis itself, the humanistic feeling and awareness are particularly strong. Immersed in this diverse atmosphere, one is inevitably cultivated in personal texture and refinement; no wonder Paris has a unique temperament.

Having just returned from Taiwan to Paris for a week, I have almost grasped the contemporary art activities of the art capital, continuing to explore the art of the moment with excitement and curiosity. Museums and galleries are all within my grasp. The next day, in the drizzling rain, I went to the current barometer of Western art—the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Unexpectedly, it was still being installed, so I visited the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris instead. Currently, the ARC is showing "Resisting the Present," contemporary art from Mexico, as well as a retrospective of Christopher Wool, the most representative of American Sensitive Abstraction, and a retrospective of the famous American cartoonist Robert Crumb. In these years of globalization, following Chinese, Indian, and African art, it's quite rare to see contemporary art from South America, especially Mexico, in Paris.

Under this multicultural theme, 24 young artists from various parts of Mexico are exhibited, intending to elucidate the local reality and spirit under globalization. Christopher Wool is the most representative painter of Sensitive Abstraction after Neo-Geo, constructing through a kind of innate and intuitive combination of lines and planes, delicate and bold, construction and combination, between intuition and imagination.

I also went to the Musée d'Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne (MAC/VAL) in the Paris suburbs. I never specifically check online beforehand to see what exhibitions are at museums and galleries; I like chance encounters. Just returning, I had an impulse to see exhibitions; any exhibition piques my curiosity. This is a time for learning and experience. Currently on show is a special exhibition of the IFP (Information, Fiction, Publicité) group, active in France in the 80s and 90s—"Théâtre des Nuages". This group was active between 1984-1994 and no longer exists. They used appropriation and information/advertising from mass consumer society for artistic creation, using public objects and images to virtually create an imaginary world of information, close to Pop and Conceptual art. Besides that, the current collection is curated as "Vive Demain," thematically constructing a special investigation from its rich holdings. This thematic presentation of the collection represents a trend in European museums.

Then, a whole afternoon touring representative galleries from the Centre Pompidou to the Marais district, of course, was a dazzling array. Notably, Chinese contemporary art has clearly and widely entered the Paris art market. The MadeIn Company (an art collective) from Shanghai had a solo exhibition at Galerie Nathalie Obadia, and Liu Wei had a solo exhibition at Galerie Almine Rech, each with their own character. Under the broad face of globalization, they offer unique perspectives; Chinese elements have either disappeared or are no longer the main subject of the art. Besides, there were conceptual solo exhibitions like Markus Schinwald, Gilbert & George's "The London Paintings," and John Baldessari's new series "Double Bill," etc. Veteran artists still have new explorations.

On Saturday, I visited galleries on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement. Although there were only a few, driven by curiosity, I went to see them, satisfying my thirst for knowledge and investigating further. Galerie Lelong exhibited the established Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, showing a series of human sculptures composed of Eastern and Western characters. Besides, there were Pop art objects by Jean-Jacques Lebel, a solo exhibition of dreamlike human sculptures by Claudine Drai. I also accidentally discovered a newly opened gallery showcasing paintings by Chinese artist Zheng Zhilong, suggesting that Chinese art will be an unavoidable part from now on. Afterwards, strolling to the Grand Palais, I saw a long queue of art enthusiasts waiting for the exhibition of the late famous German photographer Helmut Newton.

Indeed, Paris has endless exhibitions to see, so one can only choose what one wants. Otherwise, rushing around can be a bit tiring, but the exhaustion from pursuing one's own preferences is also quite satisfying. Just indulge to your heart's content.

Oh, tomorrow is the first round of the French presidential election. I haven't forgotten. Is it time for a change of regime? No one can know, but in these turbulent times, the two forces of conservatism and reform are constantly in a tug-of-war.