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Everybody is an artist, but only the artist knows it
25.03.2022 — 11.09.2022Everybody is an artist, but only the artist knows it
Pierre Bismuth
Everybody is an artist, but only the artist knows it
25.03.2022 — 11.09.2022Everybody is an artist, but only the artist knows it
Pierre Bismuth
Everybody is an artist but only the artist knows it
Part of the title of this exhibition by Pierre Bismuth is borrowed from Joseph Beuys and his famous statement ‘Jeder Mensch ist ein Künstler’. Nevertheless this textual adjustment is not just a game of cultured reference and by sharpening the quote with a paradox, Bismuth gives us material to wonder why Beuys statement remained a statement and not a reality to all of us. The question that arises from this is: What is creation, when does it happened and why are we not conscious about it? Bismuth work is based on unblocking matter, or to put it another way, on intuition. He plays with a variety of sources, material and techniques and in all his artwork, wonderment is paramount. His view on the world inspires to play, enjoy and think about the emancipative potential of creativity.
Pierre Bismuth is known to the general public for winning an Oscar in 2005 for best original screenplay, along with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman for the feature film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. Bismuth made since his debut as a film director in 2016 with the feature film ‘Where is Rocky II?’ In this unconventional film, the search for a fake rock, presumably created by the famous American artist Ed Ruscha, constitute the pretext of mysterious and compelling narrative, characterized by Pierre Bismuth as a ‘fake fiction’. The film is on continuous display in our auditorium and a special screening and event will also take place at Filmhuis Den Haag.
The exhibition is spread over two floors and was created in collaboration with Centre Pompidou Paris. The presentation varies widely in form and includes readymades, photographs, flags, videos, food and even a modified car that once belonged to a famous Belgian art collector. Visitors can taste a new chocolate with a ‘decolonial’ flavor, specially manufactured for the Dutch public. Bismuth stimulates different senses and his work becomes fantasy reality. The coherence is in the way meaning and poetry can be produced from the most mundane activities. Without necessarily wanting to be innovative, and with a strong awareness of his numerous influences, Bismuth has built up a large body of work in which deconstruction of the norm is the way to influence reality and perception of it. The focus of, ‘Everybody is an artist, but only the artist knows it’ is a starting point for dialogue for young and old alike.
The presentation in the former American embassy in The Hague, runs parallel to Asad Rasa’s solo exhibition ‘Dialogues’. Motivated to bring together different culture and personal stories, Franco-Jewish Tunisian artist Pierre Bismuth Pakistani-American artist Asad Raza will co-sign a new piece and turn their studio into a kitchen or rather turn their kitchen into an art studio. Especially for this occasion the two artists, who share an interest for cooking and experimentation, will develop a special dish that is a combination between a Pakistani Aloo Palak and a Jewish Tunisan Pkaila. The dish will be frozen and available at West for sale.
Special event: Saturday May 14, 2022 at 19:00 hrs. Pierre Bismuth and Asad Raza will host an evening. The public is invited to join the conversation. More information on the website.
The catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibitions ‘Pierre Bismuth: Everybody is an artist but only the artist knows it’ is published with the support of the Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (DAAD). The exhibition was presented at the Centre Pompidou from October 20, 2021 to February 28, 2022.
Pierre Bismuth (France, 1963) has exhibited at a.o. Centre Pompidou, Paris; Kunstmuseum, Bozar, Bruxelles; St. Gallen; LACMA, Los Angeles; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; MuHKA, Antwerp; CAC, Vilnius. Group exhibitions have been shown at a.o. MACRO Museum, Rome; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Centre Pompidou-Metz; Casino Luxembourg; La Maison Rouge, Paris; New Museum, New York; Louvre Paris and Kunsthalle Bern
Everybody is an artist but only the artist knows it
Exhibition:
25.03.2022 — 11.09.2022
Opening:
25.03.2022, 19:00 hrs.
Location:
West Den Haag in the former American Embassy, Lange Voorhout 102, The Hague
Part of the title of this exhibition by Pierre Bismuth is borrowed from Joseph Beuys and his famous statement ‘Jeder Mensch ist ein Künstler’. Nevertheless this textual adjustment is not just a game of cultured reference and by sharpening the quote with a paradox, Bismuth gives us material to wonder why Beuys statement remained a statement and not a reality to all of us. The question that arises from this is: What is creation, when does it happened and why are we not conscious about it? Bismuth work is based on unblocking matter, or to put it another way, on intuition. He plays with a variety of sources, material and techniques and in all his artwork, wonderment is paramount. His view on the world inspires to play, enjoy and think about the emancipative potential of creativity.
Pierre Bismuth is known to the general public for winning an Oscar in 2005 for best original screenplay, along with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman for the feature film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. Bismuth made since his debut as a film director in 2016 with the feature film ‘Where is Rocky II?’ In this unconventional film, the search for a fake rock, presumably created by the famous American artist Ed Ruscha, constitute the pretext of mysterious and compelling narrative, characterized by Pierre Bismuth as a ‘fake fiction’. The film is on continuous display in our auditorium and a special screening and event will also take place at Filmhuis Den Haag.
The exhibition is spread over two floors and was created in collaboration with Centre Pompidou Paris. The presentation varies widely in form and includes readymades, photographs, flags, videos, food and even a modified car that once belonged to a famous Belgian art collector. Visitors can taste a new chocolate with a ‘decolonial’ flavor, specially manufactured for the Dutch public. Bismuth stimulates different senses and his work becomes fantasy reality. The coherence is in the way meaning and poetry can be produced from the most mundane activities. Without necessarily wanting to be innovative, and with a strong awareness of his numerous influences, Bismuth has built up a large body of work in which deconstruction of the norm is the way to influence reality and perception of it. The focus of, ‘Everybody is an artist, but only the artist knows it’ is a starting point for dialogue for young and old alike.
The presentation in the former American embassy in The Hague, runs parallel to Asad Rasa’s solo exhibition ‘Dialogues’. Motivated to bring together different culture and personal stories, Franco-Jewish Tunisian artist Pierre Bismuth Pakistani-American artist Asad Raza will co-sign a new piece and turn their studio into a kitchen or rather turn their kitchen into an art studio. Especially for this occasion the two artists, who share an interest for cooking and experimentation, will develop a special dish that is a combination between a Pakistani Aloo Palak and a Jewish Tunisan Pkaila. The dish will be frozen and available at West for sale.
Special event: Saturday May 14, 2022 at 19:00 hrs. Pierre Bismuth and Asad Raza will host an evening. The public is invited to join the conversation. More information on the website.
The catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibitions ‘Pierre Bismuth: Everybody is an artist but only the artist knows it’ is published with the support of the Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (DAAD). The exhibition was presented at the Centre Pompidou from October 20, 2021 to February 28, 2022.
Pierre Bismuth (France, 1963) has exhibited at a.o. Centre Pompidou, Paris; Kunstmuseum, Bozar, Bruxelles; St. Gallen; LACMA, Los Angeles; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; MuHKA, Antwerp; CAC, Vilnius. Group exhibitions have been shown at a.o. MACRO Museum, Rome; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Centre Pompidou-Metz; Casino Luxembourg; La Maison Rouge, Paris; New Museum, New York; Louvre Paris and Kunsthalle Bern