THERMOSTAT
Collaborations between 24 French and German art centres
16th June 2010 – 30th April 2011
Thermostat – under this title, French centres d’art and German Kunstvereine will be presenting up to 30 joint exhibitions and events between June 2010 and April 2011. The programme is based upon an initiative developed by the association of French centres d’art – d.c.a. (association française de développement des centres d’art) and the French Institute in Germany and is aimed at initiating coproductions and promoting curatorial exchange on an international level.
Based on a series of encounters between the curators of each institution, the respective French and German partners have developed joint projects, which will take place in both countries.
Thermostat is based upon the principle of the consolidation of different curatorial approaches and standpoints and is intended to lead to a mutual enrichment of the participating organisations and their audiences. Ultimately, both the respective organizational formats Kunstverein and centre d’art are united in the aim to facilitate, promote, and communicate unusual and new artistic positions. They are able to offer young artists their first platform and furthermore, open up experimental work and exemplary positions.
Thermostat is a symbolic title which underlines the “systemic” character of the institutional network and the energetic exchange of the respective art scenes in France and Germany. Thermostat provides a valuable contribution to the task of disseminating the special significance of local art institutions and their position as an interface in national and international discourses.
Ménage à deux, ménage à trois: partnerships comprising two or three institutions came together to facilitate the exhibitions. Over 70 artists in total will be shown in the participating German and French institutions including Matti Braun, François Curlet, Keren Cytter, Thea Djordjadze, Latifa Echakhch, Yona Friedman, Thomas Hirschhorn, Sanja Ivekovic, Jean-Luc Moulène, Evariste Richer, Javier Téllez and Stephen Willats.
Thermostat embraces the following institutions:
— CAC Brétigny, Brétigny-sur-Orge / Künstlerhaus Stuttgart
— Centre d’art contemporain d’Ivry - le Crédac, Ivry-sur-Seine / Kunstverein Nürnberg - Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft
— Centre d’art contemporain - la synagogue de Delme / Brandenburgischer Kunstverein Potsdam
— Centre d’art passerelle, Brest / Le Quartier, centre d’art contemporain de Quimper / Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
— CNEAI = Chatou / Halle für Kunst Lüneburg / Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof, Hamburg
— CRAC Alsace, Centre rhénan d’art contemporain d’Altkirch / GAK - Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst Bremen
— La Galerie, Centre d’art contemporain de Noisy-le-Sec / Kunstverein Braunschweig
— Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers / Bielefelder Kunstverein
— Le Grand Café, Centre d’art contemporain, Saint-Nazaire / Kunstverein Wolfsburg
— Maison des arts Georges Pompidou, Cajarc / Kunstverein Tiergarten | Galerie Nord, Berlin
— Parc Saint Léger, Centre d’art contemporain, Pougues-Les-Eaux / Frankfurter Kunstverein
The series of exhibitions kicks off with the project “Mind the Gap”, featuring the artists Shannon Bool and Julien Bismuth in Altkirch, Alsace, which came about as a result of a collaboration between CRAC Alsace d´Altkirch and the GAK, Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst, Bremen.
The opening will take place in parallel to Art Basel on 16 June 2010 at 7:30pm. There will be a shuttle service to and from Basel and Altkirch (30 minutes each way). You will be receiving further information about this in due course.
Further details on the Thermostat programme can be found at the beginning of June at www.project-thermostat.eu
Thermostat is based on an initiative between the Association of French centres d’art (association française de développement des centres d’art) and the Bureau de la création artistique - Arts plastiques de l’Institut français d’Allemagne; the project is supported by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German federal cultural foundation, CULTURESFRANCE and by Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication / Direction Générale de la Création Artistique – Service des Arts Plastiques(French ministry of culture), authorized representative for German–French cultural collaboration, as well as by the cultural service of the French Embassy in Berlin.
