Paris/Munich. Artist Lara Tabet and curator Yasmine
Chemali have been named winners of the BMW ART MAKERS
programme to develop their project “Le corps vitré”.
This artistic project is a new experiment and the result of their
collaboration. The programme will culminate in two original
exhibitions at Les Rencontres d’Arles and Paris Photo, further
strengthening BMW’s long-standing partnerships with both events.
The jury was composed of Pascal Beausse (Head of the Photography
Collection at the Centre National des Arts Plastiques), Florence
Bourgeois (Director of Paris Photo), Andreina de Bei (Photo Director
and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sciences et Avenir), Hervé Digne
(President of Poush-Manifesto), Chantal Nedjib (Founder of Image par
l’image), Christoph Wiesner (Director of Rencontres d’Arles), and
Maryse Bataillard (Head of Corporate Communications and CSR at BMW
Group France).
The “Le corps vitré” project.
“Le
corps vitré” is a research and creative project led by artist and
biologist Lara Tabet, in collaboration with exhibition curator Yasmine
Chemali, which will be developed as part of the BMW ART MAKERS
programme. At the crossroads of art, biomedical sciences and
ecology, the project explores the relationships between living
beings, images and the environment through an experimental process
of bacteriography. Using microbiological samples taken from
aquatic environments located at the interface between natural spaces
and industrial infrastructure, Lara Tabet develops images resulting
from the direct interaction between micro-organisms and photosensitive surfaces.
This protocol, at the crossroads of scientific research and artistic
creation, makes the images the result of a co-production between the
artist and living organisms, where time, light and micro-ecosystems
become active agents of form.
For the exhibition produced by BMW
ART MAKERS, these imprints of life are transposed into contemporary
stained-glass windows, making a transition from the biological to the
mineral, via the digital, and inscribing the images within a longer,
more enduring timescale. Combining photography, glass and light, Le
corps vitré questions the ability of images to make often invisible
ecosystems visible and to become a tool for highlighting current
environmental issues.
Upon the announcement of their appointment, artist Lara Tabet
and curator Yasmine Chemali stated: “We are delighted
with this appointment, which recognises a long-standing collaboration
fuelled by a shared migratory journey from Beirut to the south of
France. On the occasion of the Bicentenary of Photography, we are
delighted to be able to develop a project that questions the
permeability of bodies through a feminist approach that decentres the
human scale while celebrating the hybrid nature of the photographic
medium, right from its origins. The BMW ART MAKERS programme, which
emphasises collaborative work carried out by a duo, seems to us to be
the ideal context for bringing to fruition a curatorial and artistic
project that resonates with the challenges of life, image and
contemporary ecologies.”
The BMW ART MAKERS programme will make this project
possible.
“At BMW, we firmly believe that arts
patronage is an essential source of innovation and cultural
expression. This award, which supports both the artist and the
curator, illustrates our desire to support ambitious and innovative
projects that push the boundaries of contemporary creation. For BMW,
this programme is much more than just financial support: it is a
commitment to promoting diversity of talent and actively participating
in the artistic dynamic, while fostering a fruitful dialogue between
art, science and society. By offering this framework of freedom and
resources, we enable artists to bring to life works that enrich our
view of the world and inspire future generations,” said
Maryse Bataillard, Head of Corporate Communications and CSR, BMW
Group France.
More than 210 applications were received for this new edition.
Each year, the projects received during the call for
applications reflect the trends and topics explored by artists. Out of
more than 210 submissions, the five finalist duos selected were
required to provide a statement of intent, a budget, a production
schedule, a set design proposal and portfolios of their previous
work.
The projects presented revealed a wide variety of profiles
and works, with 63 per cent mixed duos, 25 per cent female duos and 12
per cent male duos.
Nearly half of the duos were French, with the
other half comprising international artists and curators from more
than 36 countries.
This year’s submitted projects address a variety of themes, focusing
on the environment, people, living things, memory and history,
with a strong link to the bicentenary of photography, which
inspires reflections on its heritage and evolution. They showcase a
wide variety of practices, ranging from traditional photography to
contemporary technologies such as artificial intelligence and
augmented reality. The formats combine photography, sound,
video and installation, exploring both the photographic
medium and innovative narrative and spatial experiences. This edition
confirms the focus on diversity and the evolution of visual practices.
The initial selection of projects was made by a preliminary
jury of visual arts professionals comprising Fabrice
Laroche (Editor-in-chief of Fisheye Magazine), Maud Prangey (Image and
Contemporary Art Consultant, Marie Valat (Marie Valat Agency and Head
of Contemporary Art Exhibitions for Maison Auguste Comte), and
Emmanuelle Vieillard (Exhibition Curator at the Nicéphore Niépce Museum).
The preliminary jury selected five nominated artist-curator
duos to be interviewed by the main jury:
Amr Alfiky (artist), Azu Nwagbogu (curator) with the project
Recuerdos del Mar: Memories of the Sea
Marta Bogdanska (artist), Emmanuelle Halkin (curator) with the
project Animae
Charlotte Charbonnel (artist), Léa Bismuth (curator) with the
project Paléorama
Nicolas Lebeau (artist), Aden Vincendeau (curator) with the
project Silver Lining
Lara Tabet (artist), Yasmine Chemali (curator) with the project Le
corps vitré
Biographies of the winners
Lara Tabet, artist.
Lara Tabet is a Lebanese
medical biologist and visual artist based in Marseille, whose work
combines life sciences, technology and visual arts. She uses
experimental photography, bio-art, video, installation and sculpture
to transform scientific protocols into creative tools, exploring the
interactions between biology, technology and the environment. Trained
in clinical pathology in Beirut and photography in New York, she has
exhibited internationally and received several awards, including the
Prince Claus Mentorship Award in 2022. A laureate of the European
STARTS for Water II programme, she has participated in various artist
residencies and taught photography in Beirut and Salzburg.
Yasmine Chemali, curator.
Trained in art
history, museology and heritage conservation at the École du Louvre
and EHESS, she has been developing a curatorial practice focused on
photography, archives and contemporary issues of representation for
over ten years. She has directed the Fouad Debbas collection,
specialising in 19th and 20th century
photography, and was responsible for the modern and contemporary art
collections at the Sursock Museum in Beirut (2014-2020). Since 2020,
she has been director of the Centre de la Photographie de Mougins,
created to promote contemporary photography through exhibitions,
residencies and publications.
Her curatorial approach highlights minority narratives and images as
tools of power and resistance, favouring understated presentations
that encourage a sensitive reading of the works. At the same time, she
works as an independent curator and participates in conferences, while
also sitting on the board of directors of the SARADAR private
collection in Beirut.
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