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Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #2Page1FLATLAND /NARRATIVEABSTRACTIONS #207.10.2017 – 15.04.2018PRESS KITMarie-Michelle Deschamps, Untitled, 2014Courtesy private collection, Switzerland Photo: Marie-Michelle DeschampsMUDAMLUXEMBOURGmudaM

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #2PRESS RELEASEFLATLAND / NARRATIVE ABSTRACTIONS #2EXHIBITION FROM OCTOBER 7, 2017 TO APRIL 15, 2018Artists Laëtitia Badaut Haussmann, Francis Baudevin, Philippe Decrauzat, Marie-MichelleDeschamps, Angela Detanico / Rafael Lain, Hoël Duret, Sylvie Fanchon, Liam Gillick, Mark Hagen,Christian Hidaka, Sonia Kacem, Tarik Kiswanson, Vera Kox, Sarah Morris, Reinhard Mucha,Damián Navarro, Camila Oliveira Fairclough, Bruno Peinado, Julien Prévieux, Eva Taulois,John Tremblay, Pierre Vadi, Elsa Werth, Raphaël ZarkaCurators Marianne Derrien, Sarah Ihler-MeyerIn 1884, the British professor and theologian Edwin A. Abbott published Flatland: A Romance ofMany Dimensions, an allegorical narrative against dogmatism, with protagonists who aregeometric shapes. The narrator, a square from a world in two dimensions called Flatland, tellsof his discovery of Spaceland, a world in three dimensions. Back in his country, the square findsit impossible to convince his community of the existence of a third dimension, which for them isinexorably unthinkable and invisible. He is declared a heretic and subsequently imprisoned andwhile in jail he tells of his revelation and of his misfortune.Flatland / Narrative Abstractions #2, the first part of which was presented at the MRAC Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée in Sérignan in 2016, brings together twenty-five contemporary artistswho doubly echo Abbott’s book: on the one hand, because they compose narratives from abstractforms; on the other hand, because by collating the notions of “abstraction” and “narration”, theymay be considered heretical from the point of view of a certain history of art. Indeed, inseparableas it is from artistic modernity, abstraction has largely been based on the rejection of narrationand symbolism in the field of visual art. To associate “abstraction” and “narration” could at firstbe seen as a contradiction in terms, an impossibility, even though this is questioned in a largenumber of contemporary productions.The aim of this exhibition is to highlight one of the most original and paradoxical forms related tothe return of narrative in contemporary art. Loaded with references to artistic as well as extraartistic fields, undoing the autonomy of visual languages advocated by historical abstractions, theartworks in Flatland / Narrative Abstractions #2 are intentionally presented as silent narrativeswaiting to be activated by the viewer. It is thus a case of tracing the contours of a singular trendand highlighting the diversity of its manifestations and themes via a multitude of artists fromEurope and the United States.In collaboration withMusée régional d’art contemporain Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée (MRAC), SérignanPage2

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #2THE THREE CHAPTERS1 “INDEX” articulates works referring to specific socio-cultural issues. Emerging during a periodof political and cultural upheaval, many avant-garde movements hoped to act on their environmentand to participate in reshaping society. Far from this perspective, the artists gathered togetherhere do not seek to transform "reality", as understood in a global and totalising way, but ratherto acknowledge concrete and singular realities. Their pieces thus echo certain aspects of specificphenomena, such as urbanism, systems of representation and writing.Angela Detanico / Rafael LainRevolutions, 2016HD video animation, black and white, sound8 min 21 secCourtesy Galerie Martine Aboucaya, ParisSylvie FanchonSans titre (scotch noir et blanc), 2016Acrylic on canvas130 x 197 cmCourtesy the artistLiam GillickInverted Projection, 2008Lacquered aluminium, transparent Plexiglas100 x 100 x 20 cmCourtesy the artist and Air de Paris, ParisRestricted Factory, 2008Lacquered aluminium, transparent Plexiglas100 x 100 x 20 cmCourtesy the artist and Air de Paris, ParisSarah MorrisHemisphere [Knots], 2010Household gloss paint on canvas214 x 214 x 5 cmCourtesy the artist and Air de Paris, ParisReinhard MuchaHameln, 2014Metal shoulder clamps, float glass, alkyd enamel paintedon reverse of glass, felt, door leaf with hinges plywood, solidwood (split found object), blockboard, corrugated cardboard96,6 x 238,8 x 29,4 cmCourtesy Sprüth MagersCamila Oliveira FaircloughMarlett I, 2012Marlett II, 2012Acrylic on canvas81 x 130 cm eachCourtesy Galerie Emmanuel Hervé, ParisJulien PrévieuxPickpocket, 2015Brushed aluminum250 x Ø 150 cmCourtesy the artist and Galerie Jousse Entreprise, ParisElsa WerthPerspective Provisoire/2, 2017Red cotton webbinng, buckles, rivetsVarious dimensionsCourtesy Galerie Martine Aboucaya, ParisStratégie(s) de Recouvrement # IV, V, VI, VII, XIX, XXIII, 2017Black vinyl adhesive, various materialsVarious dimensionsCourtesy Galerie Martine Aboucaya, ParisPage3

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanLiam Gillick, Restricted Factor, 2008 Photo: all rights reserved/ Courtesy Air de Paris, ParisSylvie Fanchon, Sans titre, 2016Courtesy the artist Photo: Jonathan MartinFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #2Julien Prévieux, Pickpocket, 2015 Photo: all rights reserved/ Courtesy the artist and JousseEntreprise Gallery, ParisPage4

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #22 “CIRCULATION” brings together artworks that concentrate on the history of shapes and theirpassage and survival in different periods and cultures. While the pioneers of abstraction madereferences in their writings to various artistic, social and cultural phenomena, their sharedambition was nevertheless to create autonomous visual languages. In contrast to this approach,the artists gathered here aim to highlight the constitutive heteronomy of their works, in otherwords their interaction with various cultural heritages, thus drawing up genealogiesand constellations of shapes that are fundamentally hybrid.Francis BaudevinSans titre (Don Gibson), 2013Polyptich, acrylic on canvas314 x 313 cmCollection Mamco, GenevaAnonymous donationMark HagenTo Be Titled (Additive Sculpture, Screen #18), 2012Cement, stainless steel armature213,3 x 162 x 35,5 cmCourtesy the artist and Almine Rech Gallery, ParisChristian HidakaTriangles Set in Squares and Rectangles, 2017Casein tempera616 x 748 cmProduction Mudam LuxembourgCourtesy the artistTarik KiswansonVestibule, 2017Hand polished steel430 x Ø 91 cmProduction Mudam LuxembourgCourtesy the artistEva TauloisTrust Fabrics, 20132 strips, assemblage of fabrics300 x 115 cm eachCourtesy the artistJohn TremblayLives of the Planets, 2007Acrylic on canvas191 x 165 cmCourtesy Triple V, ParisRaphaël ZarkaPrismatique (P11), 2012-2013Oak, concrete165,5 74 36 cmCollection Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée, SérignanPrismatique (P12), 2012-2013Oak, concrete120,5 101,5 36 cmCollection Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée, SérignanPage5

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanMark Hagen, To Be Titled (Additive Sculpture, Screen #18), 2012Galerie Almine Rech Photo: Kurt DeruyterFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #2Tarik Kiswanson, Vestibules, 2016View of the exhibition Ongoing reflection – You, Me, So many, 2016,Collège des Bernardins, Voyez-Vous (VV)Raphaël Zarka, Prismatique (P11), 2012-2013, back-ground: Perspective n 2, 2012-2013Collection Musée régional d’art contemporain Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée, Sérignan Photo: Jean-Cristophe LettPage6

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #23 “BEGINNINGS” brings together essentially fictional works, conjuring up references toliterature, cinema and science fiction along with personal experiences. While many protagonistsof historical abstraction were searching for an “essence” or a “truth” of the world, the artistsunited here assert, on the contrary, the imaginary and subjective nature of their production.By playing with reminiscence, textural effects and contrasting materials, their artworks presentthemselves as indicators of narratives open to multiple interpretations.Laëtitia Badaut Haussmannl'Amour est plus froid que la mort, 2015Steel and aluminium, velvet, foam237 x 450 x 144 cmCourtesy the artist and Galerie Allen, ParisPhilippe DecrauzatSolides, 2017HD video (telecine of a black and white 16 mm film), soundProduction Mudam LuxembourgCourtesy the artistMarie-Michelle DeschampsBeing together is learned alone, 2014Vitreous enamel on steel, copper, 2 parts6 x 97 x 96 cmPrivate collection, ParisUntitled, 2014Vitreous enamel on steel38 x 44 x 3 cmPrivate collection, SwitzerlandSonia Kacem (suite)Awning fabric, woodVarious dimensionsCourtesy the artist and Galerie Gregor Staiger, ZurichVera KoxSolid flow, figured halts, 2017Various dimensionsProduction Mudam LuxembourgCourtesy the artist and Galleri Opdahl, StavangerDamián NavarroStretched Museum, 2017Stucco, gunny, frames85 x 1075 cmCollection of the artistbarrière-Cointet, 2011Powder coated aluminum95 x 345 cmCourtesy the artist and Ribordy Contemporary, GenevaDirect Enquiries, 2014Vitreous enamel on steel, steel stand75 x 51,5 x 40 cmCourtesy the artist and Galerie Gregor Staiger, ZurichBruno PeinadoSans titre (9/12/1934- 8/02011), 2013Painted aluminum255 x 110 x 25 cmCourtesy Galerie Loevenbruck, ParisHoël DuretUC-98 Soft & Flat (Seoul) #1, 2016, 2016Printed canvas, acrylic paint, aluminum frames176 x 120 x 3,5 cmPrivate collectionPierre VadiCritique de la raison apocalyptique, 2012Composite material12 x 93 x 127 cmCourtesy Triple V, ParisUC-98 Soft & Flat (Seoul) #2, 2016, 2016Printed canvas, acrylic paint, aluminum frames176 x 120 x 3,5 cmPrivate collectionL’Alphabet des ombres, 2015Resin, dye, fibreglass, polarising filters, offset printing183 x 143 x 5 cmCourtesy Triple V, ParisUC-98 Soft & Flat (Seoul) #3, 2016, 2016Printed canvas, acrylic paint, aluminum frames176 x 120 x 3,5 cmCollection Dorith and Serge GaluzChambre d’Écho I, 2012Resin31 x 27 x 27 cmCourtesy Triple V, ParisSonia KacemSans titre (orange, feu), 2016Sans titre (violet), 2016Sans titre (turquoise), 2016Sans titre (rose et gris), 2016Sans titre (blanc), 2016Sans titre (coquillage), 2016Sans titre (mocca), 2016Sans titre (bleu), 2016Sans titre (beige), 2016Chambre d’Écho II, 2012Resin28 x 25 x 25 cmCourtesy Triple V, ParisPage7

Mudam LuxembourgMusée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc JeanFlatland /NarrativeAbstractions #2Damián Navarro, Barrière-Cointet, 2011 Photo: Benjamin Valenza and the artistPierre Vadi,Chambre d'Écho 1, 2012 and Chambre d'écho 2, 2012Courtesy Triple V, Paris Photo: Annike WetterVera Kox, Temporary forms and permament doubts, 2013Courtesy the artist and Gallery Opdahl Photo: Erik Sæter JørgensenPage8