Taking the sun" exhibition until April 21, 2024

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From Tacita Dean's green ray, to the multiple digital suns collected on Flickr by Penelope Umbrico, to astronomer Jules Janssen's sunspot photographs, Hangar Y's new exhibition offers a luminous and sensitive journey through the works of modern and contemporary artists and scientific and vernacular images.

Our sun is so familiar and everyday that we sometimes forget about it. In fact, it's no longer just its light that punctuates and invades our lives, as some artists point out, but the electric light from lamps and screens. Falsely associated with global warming, the Sun is sometimes unloved and feared. Its heat reminds us of the sublime mystery of its burning consistency. The sun's burns, its blows, its traces and its effects activate artists' imaginations, as do its ambivalences, without which life on Earth would not exist: the sun warms but embitters; it illuminates while dazzling...

The contradiction inherent in this star is reminiscent of François de La Rochefoucauld's famous maxim: "Neither the sun nor death can be stared at". The abstract, vibrant photographs of a whole new generation of photographers, fascinated by the effect of the sun's rays on sensitive surfaces, "draw" with the star, reviving the experiments of the inventors of photography and cinema. A sensitive exploration of the sun through the eyes of artists.
Some artists take a humorous approach to the motif of the sunset, hijacking it as they go, while others gaze in delight at the sublime moment of eternity when the moon "rises" and the sun disappears. Night falls softly, and darkness deepens. Plunged into darkness, the sun is still there, but not exactly here. At the origin of numerous cults, the divine and mystical power of the sun is a rich source of inspiration for artists who question our need for transcendence.

Exhibition presented in partnership with

In media partnership with

The exhibition features works by nearly 40 French and international artists:

Guillaume Aubry - Mustapha Azeroual - Abdelkader Benchamma - Jean Claracq - Caroline Corbasson - Rapha.l Dallaporta - Tacita Dean - Disnovation.org - Rachel Duckhouse - Samuel Fosso - Léon Foucault - Fragmentin - Erwan Frotin - Marina Gadonneix - Noémie Goudal - Laurent Grasso - Jules Janssen - Anne Lindberg - Colectivo Los Ingrad.vos - Thomas Mailaender - Massao Mascaro - Peter Miller - Desire Moheb-Zandi - Morris - Martin Parr - Joan Rabascall - Sébastien Reuzé - Simon Roberts - Dagoberto Rodriguez - Charles Ross - Camille Sauvageot - SMITH - Stéphanie Solinas - Sun Ra & his Arkestra - Clara de Tezanos - Laure Tiberghien - Étienne Léopold Trouvelot - Penelope Umbrico - Gwenola Wagon

COMMISSARIAT

AURÉLIE BARON
Artistic Director (Hangar Y)

In 2022, Aurélie Baron joined Hangar Y as Director of Artistic Projects, where she is responsible for the programming of this new cultural venue, a space of exploration that proposes to build bridges between the arts, sciences and nature. From 2015 to 2022, she directed Audi talents, a patronage program specializing in the accompaniment and support of emerging French artistic creation. In particular, she collaborated on the group exhibitions Chroniques Parallèles (2018) at the Friche la Belle de Mai, alt+R, Alternative réalité (2019), Undomestic and Mind Map (2021) at the Palais de Tokyo and organized the Week-end des Musiques à l'image events (from 2015 to 2018) at the Philharmonie de Paris.

LUCE LEBART
Curator and researcher

Luce Lebart is a photography historian and researcher for the Archive of Modern Conflict collection. Her work focuses on the archive, scientific and technical imaginaries, the natural sciences and the materiality of images. She is the author of photography books, including Mold is Beautiful (Poursuite 2015) and reference works such as A World History of Women Photographers, co-edited with Marie Robert (Thames and Hudson, 2022). Her exhibitions include Cloud Album (AMC - Vancouver 2022); La Saga des inventions (CNRS-Rencontres d'Arles 2019); Gold and Silver and Frontera (National Gallery of Canada 2017 and 2018) and Mauvaises Herbes! (Centre Photo-graphique d'Ile de France, 2022).

MARTA PONSA
Curator and film programmer

An art historian, Marta Ponsa is in charge of artistic projects and cultural action at the Jeu de Paume, where she organizes cinema programs, conferences and performances. Also an exhibition curator, she has carried out projects on European photography of the 1920s-1950s and on video and the visual and digital arts. She regularly intervenes in institutions dedicated to the image and contemporary creation, such as the Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles, the "La Caixa" Foundation in Barcelona, the Oberhausen Film Festival, the Digital Humanities Chair at the University of Geneva and the Palais de Beaux-Arts in Brussels.

SCENOGRAPHY

Le Hangar Y has entrusted the scenography to Cécile Degos, who has worked on the original concept of the " rise " and "setting " with two gradations. The artistic proposal begins outside, immersing visitors in the exhibition atmosphere with a gradation occupying the oculus of the imposing glass façade, emblematic of Hangar Y, and continues in the exhibition spaces inside the building. Evocation of a full day, starting at dawn with soft, pastel colors, recalling the calm and serenity of sunrise; the color gradations then intensify, moving from warm, vibrant tones to brighter, more fiery colors, symbolizing the energy and power of the sun at its peak.

Bernard Lagacé and Lysandre Le Cléac'h worked on all the graphics and signage, based on the idea of these two gradations.

AROUND THE EXHIBITION

ULTRAVIOLETS / EXTRA BRONZES OPENING DAY
RENDEZ-VOUS DECEMBER 16 FROM 2PM

Sunbathing? Yes, but in moderation!

To mark the opening of its new exhibition, Hangar Y invites artists, designers and researchers to challenge visitors on the effects of ultraviolet light.

UV rays, which are responsible for the development of life, are also responsible for numerous health problems, such as skin cancer. Through installations, workshops, experiments, videos and even an ephemeral photo studio, the effects of the sun on the skin are progressively revealed, warning of the consequences of unprotected exposure to the sun. Gentle, sensitive and playful approaches to discover how to continue "sunbathing" in complete safety.

Solar Visions
With Pierre-Louis Ferrer

An ephemeral photo studio raises public awareness of the dangers of exposure to the sun, particularly UV-A rays. Each portrait reveals these marks, invisible to the naked eye, thanks to ultraviolet photography.

UV rays, which are responsible for the development of life, are also responsible for numerous health problems. Through installations, workshops, experiments, videos and even an ephemeral photo studio, the effects of the sun on the skin are gradually revealed, warning of the consequences of unprotected exposure to the sun. Gentle, sensitive and playful approaches to discover how to continue "sunbathing" in complete safety.

All audiences.
2pm to 5pm.
Please note: these photographs, revealing the long-term effects of the sun, are only suitable for people over 16.

Smart tan!
Family workshop

How can I enjoy the sun safely? What are the effects of UV rays? What is sunscreen used for?
This workshop helps youngsters understand how to protect themselves from the sun. Each child is invited to talk about the accessories that are part of his or her daily life (hat, glasses, T-shirt, sun cream, etc.). Using ultraviolet-reactive stickers, they can experiment first-hand with the effectiveness of these protective products.

In the family
Children aged 6 and over
At 3pm and 4pm (duration: 30 min)
Recommendation: feel free to bring your own protective gear.

Ultraviolet Awakening
Installation by Maude Guirault

With Ultraviolet awakening, designer Maude Guirault presents a collection of objects that bear witness to variations in ultraviolet levels. Intended to awaken the general public to the effects of the sun, Melanocyte and Epidermal landscape under ultraviolet light are transformed under the influence of UV, making them perceptible through color variations.

This installation was supported by the Chaire Écodesign & Création Décathlon / École des Arts Décoratifs. It also received support from Banque des Territoires Groupe Caisse des Dépôts.

I know a thing or two!
Installation and workshop by Elsa Seban
The work of designer Elsa Seban raises children's awareness of photoprotection through objects presented at educational workshops. These enable the implementation of rituals that teach children to protect themselves from the sun.

This installation was supported by the Chaire Écodesign & Création Décathlon / École des Arts Décoratifs.

All ages.
2pm to 5pm

Sunbathing... in moderation
Round table discussion
The event concludes with a discussion with Pierre Cesarini, Pierre-Louis Ferrer, Maude Guirault and Elsa Seban.

All ages.
At 5pm (Duration: 30 min)

SHOW : COSMIC DANCES - JANUARY 21 AT 3PM
ENTER THE WHIRLWIND OF THE STARS!

Hangar Y invites choreographers, dancers, composers and researchers for an afternoon dedicated to dance, music and science.

The "M51" shownamed after the Tourbillon galaxy, draws its inspiration from astrophysics and the playful approaches of artists such as painter Gérard Garouste and writer Georges Perec.

In the hangar's nave, 54 dancer-performers gradually build up to the point of explosion. This choreographic puzzle transports the spectator into an abstract, colorful world inspired by the cosmos, whose appearance is defined by the energy of the dancers and their interactions.

A round-table discussion on the creative process punctuates both performances. The afternoon concludes with a soaring DJ set that takes us ever closer to the stars.

MORE INFORMATION

Performances
At 3pm and 4:30pm
With companies RO/ZE, Osmium and Danse en Seine

Round table
At 3:30 p.m.
With Emmanuelle Simon, Orianne Vilmer, Nicole Vilmer

DJset
Starting at 5:30 p.m.
With Baptiste Lagrave