The Chartreuse de Bonnefoy was founded by monks in 1156. On the other hand, it plays with the evolution of light. One day discreet, another bright, other times sparkling. Work by Stéphane Thidet as part of the Sharing of Waters.
Description
The facade of the old Chartreuse de Bonnefoy is placed in an open field in the middle of a strong landscape, like a gap hidden in the curves of the Monts d'Ardèche. It evokes a jewel in the middle of a setting that would jealously want to keep it for itself. This fragment of facade seems to stand up by magic, and suggests the scale that the building must have had before its almost total disappearance.
Through a fairly minimalist intervention, Stéphane Thidet wanted to accentuate the surreal character of this site: where there were once a door and windows, seven large mirrors are inserted. Slightly inclined, they reflect the landscape which literally penetrates into the stone embrasures, creating an impression of disturbing transparency.
This work, which is one with the building, plays on an effect of transparency while also reflecting the passage of time and the seasons. Is it the front that is reflected or the back that shows through the play of light? Where is the “other side” of the title? Nothing is less certain...
Born in 1974, Stéphane Thidet lives in Paris and works in Aubervilliers. A graduate of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts in Paris in 2002, he has taught at the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Nantes Métropole since 2017.
Based on the raw and natural materiality of water, earth, wood, minerals and animals, his work borrows from reality, from its potential for narrative, fiction, imaginary space, memory, to invent a dark and introspective work, mental and mutating.
Stéphane Thidet is represented by Galeries Aline Vidal in Paris and Laurence Bernard in Geneva.
Opening
All year, every day.
We also offer:
The Cistercian abbey of Mazan, founded in the 12th century. A circle and a thousand fragments unfold on the walls and roofs of the different buildings constituting the abbey. Work by Felice Varini as part of the Sharing of Waters.
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| Free access. Guided tour on request. |
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