Shortly after the inauguration of the Abattoirs – Frac Occitanie museum in 2000, the Château d’eau hosted photographs from its collection. 25 years later, these two places of culture, neighbors of the Saint-Cyprien district in Toulouse, are collaborating again with the exhibition “Ouvrir les yeux”, which brings together around 250 works from the two collections, almost equally.
“We somehow took advantage of the closure of the Galerie Le Château d’eau to create a dialogue between our two photographic collections and thus exhibit this incredible hidden collection of the Château d’eau. We also find some installations around photography from our collection,” reveals the director of Abattoirs Lauriane Gricourt.
In a journey designed around themes, including that of the body in the central nave of the museum, the photos of great artists like William Klein, Agnès Varda, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sophie Calle or Jean Dieuzaide respond to each other and question this art which has evolved greatly since then. his beginnings. The result of research and sorting work within the 5,000 photos of the Gallery and the 500 photos of the Abattoirs, “public collections that the public does not yet know”, points out Christian Caujolle, artistic advisor of the Château d’ water.
With “Open Your Eyes”, visitors will be able to discover disturbing, impactful and intriguing works. If photography remains one of the most democratic media, Christian Caujolle likes to remind us that if “we can all make images, that does not mean we are photographs or artists”.
On the spot
Each room in the museum highlights a specific theme. With “On the Move”, we explore the way in which photographers have always sought to capture the instant, to stop the movement. Through her eye, American photographer Seton Smith also recalls the fascination of these artists for the ordinary, the everyday. “We can clearly see this today with Instagram,” underlines Lauriane Gricourt.
In its very conception, the exhibition wanted to “generate different experiences”, continues the director of Abattoirs, installing The Tombs by Sophie Calle on the museum floor or proposing the evolving installation Landscapeby the Chilean Alfredo Jaar, who questions the way in which the media capture the news.
Relationship with oneself and with others through portraits and self-portraits, links between photography and painting… This exhibition “Opening your eyes” is also a panorama of a hundred years of history of photography, from the photo of the Czech Drtikol in 1924 to works by contemporary artists such as Jeff Wall and his monumental book box visible in the nave.
Practical. Les Abattoirs, Museum – Frac Occitanie Toulouse, 76, allées Charles-de-Fitte in Toulouse. Such. 05.34.51.10.60. Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Late night Thursday evenings until 8 p.m. (except school holidays).
