Until April 20, the Opale Foundation in Lens (VS) explores the diversity of artistic expression of spirituality. “Nothing Too Beautiful for the Gods” presents sixty diverse works that range from altars to contemporary works and embody a universal quest for transcendence.
With “Nothing too beautiful for the gods”, the Opale Foundation in Lens/Crans-Montana (VS) opens its doors to multiple deities and cults. With the benefit of carte blanche, the French curator Jean-Hubert Martin presents in the exhibition altars with Hindu, shamanic, voodoo or Tibetan accents, created in part for the occasion and used by man to connect with the invisible and spirituality.
A second part shows works by artists born in the first half of the 20th century, who claim a dual affiliation to religion and modern art. Like the French visual artist Christian Boltanski, who throughout his life asked the question of the existence of God and the relationship he could have with him.
Finally, a final section exposes a new generation of artists uninhibited by colonization, who campaign for the recognition of their culture and the highlighting of religious aspects. “Whether they are works by religious artists of the 20th century or works by young artists who come from the global South and who claim beliefs such as shamanism or voodoo, they all have in common this quest to touch an invisible world,” indicates at 7:30 p.m. on January 4 Gautier Chiarini, director of the Opale Foundation.
>> To see, the topic of 7:30 p.m. dedicated to the exhibition:
Aboriginal art created on site
Among the works, we can discover Aboriginal art, which constitutes the breeding ground for the Opale Foundation. Desert flowers were crushed and reassembled to become a place of worship. The work was created directly in the museum by four artists from Australia. “These are forms of altars, that is to say a place where believers come together to connect to spirituality and the beyond. For me, it is a way of thanking them for doing know their art and their culture in Europe”, explains Bérengère Primat, founder of the Opale Foundation.
Between objects of worship and artistic diversion, the exhibition is not intended to be ethnographic: it is art and artists that we are talking about above all. “Today institutional recognition in Europe is still extremely weak. Each exhibition that includes a reflection on this type of object is a step forward,” underlines Gautier Chiarini.
At the end of the exhibition “Nothing too beautiful for the gods”, most of the works will return to their museum or country of origin, to be, for some, used as part of real rituals.
TV subject: Florence Vuistiner and Yann Denervaud
Adaptation web: mh
“Nothing too beautiful for the gods”, Fondation Opale, Lens/Crans-Montana (VS), until April 20, 2025.
