March 11 ? Sept. 12, 2010 - Fondation Cartier pour l'art ...

EXHIBITION MARCH 11 > SEPT. 12, 2010
BEAT TAKESHI KITANO
GOSSE DE PEINTRE
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With joy, humor and seriousness, Beat Takeshi Kitano has thrown himself
into Gosse de peintre, an unusual project that subtly, if impertinently,
alights in the realm of childhood. Entirely created by Beat Takeshi Kitano,
this site-specific exhibition for the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain
will be presented from March 11 to September 12, 2010. With paintings
and videos, bizarre objects and settings, whimsical and fantastic machines,
Kitano leads the visitor through surprises, gags and games, all the while
mocking contemporary art, experimenting with the sciences and toying with
clichés associated with his country, Japan.
A SingulAr PerSonAlity Filmmaker, actor, TV presenter,
comedian, painter, writer, Takeshi Kitano, also known as Beat
Takeshi, is a singular personality. Famous throughout the world
for his films, Beat Takeshi Kitano commands an unequalled
popularity in Japan as a comic and TV celebrity. Irrepressibly
curious, passionate about the acquisition and passing on of
knowledge, he adroitly switches genres and idioms, moving
from violence to comedy, from over-the-top performances to
deeply restrained ones.
An invitAtion from the fondAtion CArtier While this
insatiable artist finds inspiration everywhere, two leitmotifs
occur frequently in his work: his fascination and nostalgia
for childhood, and his relationship with the image, which is
fundamental to his creative approach. This passion for the
image is also evidenced by a prolific output of paintings, many
of which appear in his films. Reluctant to institutionalize his
artwork, which he deems essentially a private endeavor, Kitano
has never submitted to the numerous requests of museums
to exhibit his work. His decision to accept the Fondation
Cartier’s invitation resulted from meeting with its director,
Hervé Chandès, and their numerous discussions during which
arose the idea of a site-specific exhibition geared toward children,
designed as one gigantic installation.
A multifACeted ProjeCt In creating Gosse de peintre, a
multifaceted project with clear autobiographical references,
Beat Takeshi Kitano subverts the very idea of an exhibition.
He has transformed the museum into an amusement park
in which all the worlds of Beat Takeshi Kitano take center
stage. Popular culture and scientific inquiry, the imaginary
and the satirical, tradition and education, the beautiful and
the kitsch, all co-exist in a setting that is at once diverse
and cohesive.
Meandering along a path studded with bizarre images, interactive
workshops, gags and games, visitors enter a universe
1
as joyful as it is rich and complex. Populated by imaginary animals
amidst an array of inventions, sideshows and musings,
Beat Takeshi Kitano’s exhibition is like a gigantic self-portrait,
an expression of his dreams, ideas, and fantasies both as a child
and an adult. The autobiographical nature of the exhibition
is demonstrated through references to his childhood and
hints to events in his life and even his name, which appears
on objects and within the exhibition decor.
This first exhibition of Beat Takeshi Kitano is one of the most
ambitious projects ever created for the Fondation Cartier.
It is designed for children, but speaks to adults. With Gosse
de peintre, Beat Takeshi Kitano takes children seriously and
invites them to think, to dream and to join the show.
—
ACtivitieS for Children
March > Sept. 2010
In the context of the exhibition Beat Takeshi Kitano, Gosse de peintre,
the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain invites young visitors
to discover today’s art in new ways. Workshops and guided tours
for children and families are offered to the public
on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
For further information: fondation.cartier.com/enfants
Practical information. Admission: 7 €. Advance booking essential.
Visitors’ Department: Tel. + 33 (0)1 42 18 56 67
info.reservation@fondation.cartier.com
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exhibition
FONDATION CARTIER POuR l’ART CONTEMPORAIN
General Director: Hervé Chandès / Curator: Isabelle Gaudefroy /
Production Manager: Camille Chenet; intern: Alexandra Fouillade-Meyer /
Production and Installation Coordinator: Christophe Morizot /
Interpreter: Asuka Abe / Registrar: Corinne Bocquet,
Alanna Minta Jordan; intern: Flora Katz / Installation: Gilles Gioan /
lighting: Nicolas Tauveron / Soundtracks: Cristián Sotomayor /
Sound Technician: Cyril Chiron
OFFICE KITANO
General Director: Masayuki Mori / Production Managers: Makoto Kakurai,
Aya Nakahashi, Jun Ogawa / Director of Production: Satoru Maruyama
(ACS Inc.) / Director of Exhibition Design: Hironori Takamatsu (ACS Inc.)