Special ultramarine creation (1): a booming art scene

The event is large and, as such, it is to be welcomed! Too few occasions like this (or as the one organised by ONDA on 1 December 2022) give the visibility that ultra-marine artists deserve. This field of French contemporary creation is indeed more significant than that of a simple niche. And he unfurls ambitious relationships with the continents around him.

The idea of a sustainable event inscribed in the calendar of the cultural season is making its way, and it is to promote it that the Friche la Belle de Mai, in the spirit and letter of the Pact in favour of artists and ultramarine culture (see box), took the initiative to organize such an appointment, basing «A Field of Islands» (in partnership with the FRAC Réunion, FRAEME, the centre of contemporary art of national interest Asteroid triangle and the Artist Documents Network.).

The program includes two exhibitions, performances and two professional days that promise to be exciting. Alban Corbier-Labasse, general manager of Friche la Belle de Mai, reveals the most salient aspects. Interview.

Why organize in Marseille, at the Friche la Belle de Mai, this event «Un Champ d'Îles»?

The ultra-marine visual arts demonstrate a fascinating dynamism. «A field of islands» stems from this desire to share this: it is high time to do everything to remove the obstacles that oppose the visibility of ultra-marine artists in France, especially since their notoriety in new geographical areas, In recent years, the number of international jobs has increased considerably.

What does this event bring more than all the support measures of the Ministry of Culture?  

In France, the overwhelming majority of spaces dedicated to contemporary art are in France, so that the question of the mobility of ultra-marine artists is, because of the distance, a sensitive and well-identified question, which falls under cultural policies, like others (reducing any break in territorial continuity, building equal opportunities in training and access to vocational streams, improving or even building a network of regional and sub-regional cultural facilities, or resolve the issue of “granting of sea”, a real customs barrier that impedes the movement of works…).

Our project is on another level. Beyond these issues, it should be noted that the plurality of cultural identities of these French artists from overseas is a formidable asset, which should be highlighted.

In a few words, how to characterize this singularity of overseas artists?

They are assimilated to the French contemporary art scene, while belonging to very rich and very different geographical and cultural contexts. Their artistic journey feeds on other stories and other geographies, in addition to or beyond the national narrative.

From the Caribbean, they look at the entire American continent (Brazil, Colombia, the United States, Canada, etc.). From Reunion Island or Mayotte, they are connected to India and Africa (especially South Africa which includes a real art market). These great cultural and geopolitical crossroads are inspiring but also new markets for contemporary art. The Embassy of France in the United States, with the Villa Albertine, was not mistaken. Among the artists she invites, she gives pride of place to those from the Caribbean territories, who bring, for example, a different point of view on issues of afro-descent, compared to that of the United States or France.

Can we talk about a new era for contemporary art from overseas?

In any case, our project was enthusiastically received by the Ministry of Culture and the Overseas Departments. It fits perfectly into the visibility pact signed between the two ministries (see box), who were extremely responsive and willing to organize this highlight, and without whom we would not have gone all the way.

Moreover, the fact that a Martinique artist, Julien Creuzet, was chosen in parallel to represent France at the Venice Biennale, confirmed the relevance of our project. Many people have been working for a long time to bring out these artists and it is exciting to live these moments where we see things moving. We are witnessing a small upheaval in the cartography of contemporary art in France.

So, more specifically, what is the purpose of «Un champ d'îles»?

«A field of islands» is the title of a poem by Édouard Glissant, which we borrowed from him in order to highlight this singular form, the archipelago, which evokes all the richness of the overseas territories.

Inspired by the events that the performing arts has successfully created in its field (Zébrures festival in Limoges, Théâtre de la Chapelle du Verbe incarnate in Avignon, Mois Kreyol festival in Ile de France), we thought there was room for a highlight for ultra-marine artists in the field of contemporary art.

Without imagining creating a recurring meeting, but rather with the idea of generating the interest of professionals and the public of France, we tried to give with FRAEME, Triangle-Asterides, the Network documents of artists and the FRAC Reunion, through exhibitions, round tables and performances, a spotlight on the Caribbean and Indian scenes.

These exhibitions and performances will be accompanied by a two-day “symposium”.

This is the other part of “One Field of Islands”, as important as the other: Far does not mean small. A time of meetings imagined by the Network documents of artists, conceived with the assistance of a scientific committee, and made up of speakers almost all from these territories, to address, here in Marseille at the Belle de Mai, an audience of France, professionals in culture and contemporary art (network of the Fonds régionaux d'art contemporain (FRAC), Centres d'art contemporain (CAC), museums… but also gallery owners, hopefully), in order to raise awareness (or even delight them) about ultra-marine creation.

These meetings will also be a crossroads for artists from different geographical areas, since it is also a matter of giving Marseille the opportunity to bring Caribbean professionals closer to those of the Indian Ocean, to cross their experiences and issues, as much as with those who work on the French territory.

In any case, «far does not mean small» (to use the title given at the symposium) and these archipelagic territories are indeed writing a new page in the history of art, or proposing another history of the arts, more Creole and less disciplinary.

Find here the program of the symposium Far does not mean small