This weekend……..why not.......?
Daniel Johnston and Zoe Mendelson Exhibition from 8th February – 4th June 2008
Yoruba from 5th April - 15th June 2008
......visit the ‘Collections de Saint-Cyprien’ in Saint-Cyprien and take a look at the Daniel Johnston and Zoe Mendelson collections or the Yoruba exhibition, both quite fascinating in their own ways. I came out of the Daniel Johnston exhibition saying to myself “What on earth was that?” The drawings are originals, many quite small, on A4 paper or similar, set up in a spartan, minimalist way – certainly not what you would expect of an art gallery. But this is what the ‘Collections de Saint-Cyprien’ continuously try to do – to shock, to provoke, to make you wonder what on earth you’re look at!
Yoruba
This ethnic Yoruba collection contains 50 Yoruba sculptures which have never before been seen by the public, accentuating the air of mystery which surrounds Yoruba rites and traditions. The aim of the exhibition is to show a mix of aesthetics (beauty, strength, technique, aura…) but also the utility of each object.
Among the most impressive artistic cultures in the world, the Yoruba people live on the west coast of Africa in Nigeria, and also in the eastern
Republic of Benin and Togo. They are one of the
largest cultural groups in Africa with around 40 million Yoruba world-wide.. They created a strong economy through farming, trading, and art
production and their outstanding and unique artistic
traditions include woodcarving, sculpture, metal
work, textiles, and beadwork.
Daniel Johnston
Talented and tormented American Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/ songwriter/ artist, has exhibited in a variety of galleries and museums around the world. A victim of his own personality, due to a bipolar disorder, he is a legendary ’genius-madman’ whose art and songwriting are deeply woven into the fabric of American culture through years of music poster art, songwriting appearances and subculture press.
The aspiring cartoonist — whose playful, symbol-heavy sketches have graced the covers of may of his releases, has not as yet been well received by a French audience, and this exhibition is the first in France to concentrate on such a large (more than 50) number of his private collection.
Executed in Magic Marker on regular-sized notebook paper, with speech bubbles and title text floating around the central figures, they’re cartoonish, both in the drawing style and in their content, many like individual panels from a larger story. Johnston defines them as "amateur art," despite his formal training. When he says "amateur art," he’s just describing what he likes: "Doodles, nervous drawings, things like that."
What separates Daniel’s drawings from just plain "doodles," though, is the consistency of their themes and concerns. In all of Daniel’s art, sketched or recorded, there is an ongoing battle between good and evil - in fact a kind of mental diary of his own joys and nightmares
Many of his drawings feature a Daniel-like character called Joe the Boxer, who’s missing the top quarter of his head— he’s often found boxing a many-eyed, tentacled creature called Vile Corrupt. Heroes are a recurring theme, including Captain America, one of Daniel’s long-time fixations. Hell appears and reappears. So do gunboats, swastikas, military men, and other signs of war. As Daniel told Pitchfork a few years ago, "Good triumphs over evil...World War II, for instance, who won that war? America!"
In just as many drawings, though, there’s peace— they’re filled with jokes, bright-yellow ducks, visions of love, and whimsical compositions. They’re lively and friendly. The art is defiantly not the work of a tormented mind— it’s the work of a man who ’believes strongly in good, believes strongly in pain, and believes strongly in fun.’
Zoë Mendelson
Personal Statement
I create drawn and painted intricate dreamscapes often occurring on walls, inside antique furniture and museum-style cabinets. With conflicting roots in children’s illustration, botanical and erotic drawing, these dislocated narratives play off intimations of desire with sensations of disgust and discomfort......................I use drawing to communicate obsession, but the process in which I work also enters into the compulsive. I continually re-draw elements, until satisfied they appear flawless, in the hope that this unsullied line becomes a ‘clean’ method for containing furtive imaginings. Where pencil wall-drawings enrobe the architecture of a space there is fleetingness to the fantasy; these painstakingly elaborate tales are as temporary as dreams themselves........... I find it incredibly exciting to make works which disappear - I like that I am freed from their longevity. They are almost performative and when the making is over I leave them behind.
www.zoemendelson.co.uk
About the museum
The François Desnoyer museum was created in 1972 to house an important donation of pieces from the artist’s personal collection.
In 1994, a second museum, this time one of contemporary art, grew up just a short distance from the first. In 2003, both museums were restructured and given the name “Collections de Saint Cyprien” Since then, they have concentrated on daring, sometimes shocking exhibitions, mostly following a theme of “collections”. With the addition of 700 m2 of extra space, numerous lenders agreed to contribute to the collections, bringing them international status.
New, up-and-coming artists regularly exhibit here also.
Thanks to the legacy from François Desnoyer (French painter) in 1972, the permanent collection is added to regularly.
As well as the many works of Desnoyer, one will also find Albert Marquet, Utrillo, Suzanne Valadon, Salvador Dali, and many other major artists.
Collections de Saint Cyprien
Place de la République - 66750 Saint-Cyprien (France)
tél./fax : 04 68 21 06 96
Place de la République St Cyprien 66750
tél.fax : +33 (0)4 68 21 32 07
Admission: 5€/3€
Opening hours: summer: 10h/12h - 15h/19h every day. Rest of year: 10h/12h - 14h/18h (closed on Tuesdays in winter).
