<p>‘We are nourished by the places we’ve lived’ say the Chicago and Paris-based collectors and founders of the SARR Prize</p>

As told to Ingrid Luquet-Gad

Catherine and Mamadou-Abou Sarr open up

<p><a href="https://parisplus.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2906/Galerie-Pietro-Spart%C3%A0">Pietro Spartà藝廊</a>是一個有趣的異類。藝廊的空間位於距離巴黎2小時車程的勃艮第郊野，周圍是葡萄園，被運河一分為二。此外，藝廊空間「極具象徵性地」脫離了藝術版圖，因為他們沒有任何的線上展示形式。同名創始人Spartà並不需要任何的修飾來吸引藝術家和收藏家。 Pietro Spartà是一個任性的實驗家，他了解自己所選擇的價值觀，是基於直覺、激情和社群的。</p>

<p>Sometimes, the setting allows access to specialized tools, like at CIRVA (International Center of Glass and Plastic Arts) in Marseille, where experienced glass blowers take on the fantastic ideas dreamed up by artists carrying out research into glass. In a similar vein, in spring 2023, Frac Picardie in Amiens will launch a residency entirely dedicated to animation techniques, in collaboration with the Paris gallery and studio Miyu Productions.</p>

<p>At the Fondation Fiminco, ‘the artists are guided by a workshop leader who helps them with different practices: It’s also a collective learning process which allows them to test and experiment with things,’ explains Katharina Scriba, the director of the venue. In an old industrial site in Romainville, north-east of Paris, which has been transformed into a cultural hub, technical know-how is on offer, with workshops in engraving, ceramics, and even a video department. All this is available to the 12 artists who stay there for almost a year working on research projects, creation, and production. The artist Chloé Royer, who arrived in September 2022, is thrilled to be able to experiment with so many techniques, as well as the freedom the residency affords. ‘Fiminco offers a huge range of possibilities, it’s a real playground. In 11 months I’m going to be able to try out all of the workshops.’ As a sculptor, she has been experimenting with ceramics, along with photography, and is working on a video for her final work. </p>

<p><strong>Catherine Sarr:</strong> We are nourished by the places we’ve lived, and it is true that Chicago has been a defining context for us. That is why Chicago artists are also part of our collection, including, for example, Amanda Williams,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/29466/Dawoud-Bey">Dawoud Bey</a>, and Nate Young. I would also add that in Chicago, art is not concerned with fashionable society; it is civic. This is the city of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9868/Theaster-Gates">Theaster Gates</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8633/Kerry-James-Marshall">Kerry James Marshall</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Mamadou-Abou Sarr:</strong> By way of our philanthropy, we have a place at the institutional table: I am a trustee of the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Art Institute of Chicago, and FACE Foundation (Villa Albertine), while Catherine is on the board of the Terra Foundation for American Art, as well as a member of several committees at the Art Institute of Chicago. We have been able to make acquisitions for museums that enriched their collections and allowed them to broaden the stories they tell. We also sponsor certain exhibitions, such as  ‘Closer to the Earth, Closer to My Own Body’, at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2021-2022, the first major US museum exhibition dedicated to the Kenyan photographer Mimi Cherono Ng’ok&hellip;</p><p><strong>Catherine Sarr:</strong> &hellip; who was the first African woman photographer to have an exhibition in a North American museum.</p>

<p><strong>Mamadou-Abou Sarr:</strong> I often spend my Sundays advising young artists. I tell them to live their career with passion and patience. When you look at an artist’s career over the long term, there can be specific moments or certain series that allow them to take off. A second piece of advice I frequently give is to be sure to create a network, because that is the world we live in; a world where international digital platforms have replaced the old word-of-mouth channels.</p><p><strong>Catherine Sarr:</strong> Indeed, I would advise patience above all. I take inspiration from a piece of advice given by American curators that comes back time and again, about the importance of residencies. Residencies are an important moment of reflection that enable young artists to flesh out their practices.</p>

<p><strong>Mamadou-Abou Sarr:</strong> The art world has evolved tremendously. It has become more democratic, digitalized, and fragmented, at the same time as speculation has taken on a larger role. I am also thinking here of recent questions raised by NFTs: Can you buy a fraction of a piece of art? What is its value? For intangible goods, such as art, the price first and foremost comes from a sentimental attachment. Of course, there is a market value defined by auctions and sales histories, but all of that can be quite relative. We have never sold any artworks, so our collection has become rather substantial. Among the questions that arise as a result, we ask ourselves: What will the legacy of this collection be? Will we need a museum for it one day? For the time being, the most important thing for us is to make sure these pieces continue living, and to keep supporting artistic creation.</p>

<p>Ingrid Luquet-Gad is an art critic and PhD candidate based in Paris. She is the arts editor of <em>Les Inrockuptibles</em>, a contributing editor at <em>Spike art magazine, </em>and a writer for <em>Flash Art.</em></p><p>English translation: Jacob Bromberg.</p><p>Caption for full-bleed images, from top to bottom: 1.&nbsp;Dhewadi Hadjab, <em>Sans titre</em>, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Sarr Collection. 2.&nbsp;Alexandre Diop,&nbsp;<em style="background-color: initial;">Give me Respect,&nbsp;</em>2021.&nbsp;Courtesy of the artist and Sarr Collection. 3.&nbsp;Carrie Mae Weems,&nbsp;<em>When and Where I Enter - Ancient Rome</em>,&nbsp;2006.&nbsp;Courtesy of the artist and Sarr Collection. 4.&nbsp;Lorraine O’Grady,&nbsp;<em style="background-color: initial;">Art is (Cope eyeing a young man),&nbsp;</em>1973/2009.&nbsp;Courtesy of the artist and Sarr Collection.</p><p>Published on March 7, 2023.</p><p>Catherine Sarr took part in the Conversations panel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/stories/art-basel-miami-beach-journeys-across-diasporas-collecting-african-art" target="_blank">'Journeys across Diasporas: Collecting African Art'</a>, held at Art Basel Miami Beach 2022.&nbsp;Watch it in full below.&nbsp;</p>

false

title_style_2

<p>The Vietnamese-born Danish artist is taking over the monumental rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, igniting a conversation about our relationship with nature</p><section><div><div><section><main><section></section></main></section></div></div></section> <section></section>

Danh Vo brings back to life trees struck by lightning

<p>Sadie Coles on launching her gallery with YBAs icon Sarah Lucas</p><section><div><div><section><main><section></section></main></section></div></div></section> <section></section>

‘I was captivated by her unconventional attitude’

<p> <section></section></p><section><div><div><section><main><div><div><p>From Montmartre to a nature reserve, here are the top spots</p></div> </div><section></section></main></section></div></div></section><section><div><div><section><main><section></section></main></section></div></div></section> <section></section>

Where are the best artist residencies in France?

‘We are nourished by the places we’ve lived’ say the Chicago and Paris-based collectors and founders of the SARR Prize

Welcome,

探索更多相關內容