Exhibition-residency
Curated by Anna Labouze & Keimis Henni
After welcoming musician Thylacine in 2019, textile artist and researcher Jeanne Vicerial in 2021, artist and activist Mégane Brauer in 2022, sculptor Hugo Servanin in 2023 and painter Inès Di Folco Jemni in 2024, the Magasins Généraux invite artist Valentine Gardiennet to take over the venue and its programming as part of an exhibition-residency from March 22 to May 18, 2025.
For her exhibition-residency, Valentine Gardiennet transforms the Magasins Généraux into an imaginary village. A house adorned with coloured pencil drawings on the walls, giant dolls that sometimes seem to come to life on their own, a papier-mâché theatre troupe, a library and a few ghosts surround a several-meter-long metal bed, from which a soundtrack emanates. At first glance, what might resemble the enlargement of a child's or teenager's bedroom, a theatre set under construction, a reconstructed crime scene, or an abandoned amusement park, turns out to be an ode to the collective and the necessity of togetherness to move forward in art and life.
It takes a village to grow up, to learn, to build, to undertake, to fight, to make friends, to find love, or simply to avoid being or ending up alone. And all this despite the challenges of human relationships in an increasingly polarised world. The characters who inhabit this village are sometimes shy, self-conscious, angry or jealous. Yet, they also help, love, and support each other, overcoming obstacles and making the harshness of life more bearable. Some carry the weight of a painful past.
At its core, “It takes a village” is a heartwarming tribute to the real and fictional people who surround and carry us, drawing inspiration from fantastic cinema, cartoons, fairy tales, dark humour, sitcoms, and comic strips.
