Displacements and torrents

The exhibition Déplacements et torrents – Là où le Dnipro et l’Elbe se rencontrent explores the place of artists from the so-called “socialist” and “post-socialist” countries of Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus in the French cultural landscape. Highlighting the forced displacement of people, animals, objects and cultural practices, she examines the repercussions of these movements on artistic trajectories. Curators Sasha Baydal and Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez invite visitors to imagine a metaphorical encounter between the Dnipro and Elbe rivers, symbolizing the links between these regions and France, through a multiplicity of historical and contemporary narratives.

The exhibition traces artistic mobility and exchange between these regions since the 1970s, addressing themes such as the Cold War, the post-socialist transition and the contemporary situation, where unresolved issues from the past are reemerging. It includes works from the collection of the Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap) and examines power dynamics, notably the continuity of colonialism and cultural mobility.

Through works, archives and a decolonial approach, the exhibition raises questions about who is displaced or assigned a place, about the right to mobility, and about the role of cultural diplomacy in these movements. It sheds light on power relations and their resonance in France and Europe.

Artists: Louisa Babari, Abel Barroso Arencibia, Maja Bajević and Emanuel Licha, Commercial public art (Svitlanka Konoplyova and Borys Medvediev), DAVRA Collective (Valeriya Kim, Dona Kulmatova, Zumrad Mirzalieva and Saodat Ismailova), Robert Gabris, Danylo Halkin, Petrit Halilaj, Song Huai Kuei (Madame Song), Ilya Kabakov, Nikolay Karabinovych, Zdena Kolečková, László Méhes, Sandra Muteteri Heremans, Halyna Neledva, Nonument Group (Neja Tomšič, Martin Bricelj Baraga, Nika Grabar and Miloš Kosec), Minh Thắng Phạm, Vincent Rumahloine, Araks Sahakyan and Rebecca Topakian, Souli Seferov, Masha Svyatogor, Maryn Varbanov, Evita Vasiljeva, Akram Zaatari

For the occasion Araks Sahakyan presents a collaborative work with artist photographer Rebecca Topakian entitled Vordan Karmi.

With contributions from : Archives of the City of Ústí nad Labem, Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap), Vít Havránek, Bogdan Konopka, Stojan Koujumdjiev, Wanda Mihuleac, Radu Stoica, Vladimir Tverdokhlebov; and the archives of the Cité internationale des arts.