Editor's Note: The following interview was conducted in French by Picture This Post's trilingual editor, Mingyuan Dong. The interview in French can be found below the English translation.
If you are passionate about art, how can you help cultivate the newer generations of artists? Cultur Foundry of Boulogne is an organization that takes on this challenge as its mission.
The organization started in the middle of 2020, regardless of Covid. It is financed entirely by collectors and private parties who are passionate about art. Through exhibitions and events featuring a variety of artistic creations, it gives young art graduates a platform to showcase their works for potential opportunities in the future. Overlapping with the new Paris+ by Art Basel show, Cultur Foundry will be showcasing up and coming artists with an exhibit theme of water and imagination October 12 - 23, 2022.
Here, Picture This Post (PTP) speaks with one of Cultur Foundry’s first staff members, Céline Bailleul (CB) about Cultur Foundry’s contribution to the French and global art scene.
(PTP) What is the mission of Cultur Foundry?
(CB) Cultur Foundry is a philanthropic organization founded by Frédéric Lorin in June, 2020. It brings together amateurs and passionate lovers of art who wish to promote and support artistic creation. We wish to provide visibility to artists, and to allow them to create and produce. We particularly help emerging artists, who need promotion and support to continue to create. We provide them with their first networks so that they could live on their art in the future. We have already put up two exhibitions in 2020 and 2021. The mission has not changed since 2020.
Cultur Foundry is a community of collectors who are private parties. We have to create more partnerships with private organizations. In this way, we develop ourselves and increase our visibility.
How does Cultur Foundry plan for each exhibition?
Every member of the community can suggest artists related to the theme of the exhibition. In the end, about fifteen artists are selected. We choose talented artists who graduated from well-known art schools. They are emerging in the sense that they are young, and do not belong to any galleries. After their exhibitions with us, we follow their journeys with galleries and their residency. In our exhibitions, we also have two or three well-known artists, who are the engines for the others.
The spaces for exhibitions are unusual (for example, l’espace K in the city of Kremlin Bicêtre) and can be different for each exhibition. This also allows us to open new places for artistic creation.
Why do you work with contemporary art and Cultur Foundry?
I have been part of Cultur Foundry since its inception in 2020. Thus, I was able to participate in the installations of the first two exhibitions.
I always enjoyed art and cultural excursions, such as visiting the École du Louvre and exhibitions. In my job as a human resource consultant, I have had the opportunity to accompany artists and gallery owners in their professional journeys. In 2019, I was approached by galleries from Boulogne (in the suburb of Paris), and I joined the organization, Carré sur Seine. This allowed me to meet artists and sparked even more of my interest in contemporary art. So naturally and subsequently, my adherence to Cultur Foundry came after.
What is the theme of Cultur Foundry’s next exhibition?
The next exhibition is with the theme of water and imagination. It will take place in 36 Rue du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, starting from 10 October, 2022. On this day, the artists and the commissioners of the exhibition will be present.
For more information, visit the Cultur Foundry website.
Photo courtesy of Cultur Foundry
Original Interview in French:
(PTP) Quelle est la mission de Cultur Foundry?
(CB) Cultur Foundry est une association philanthropique créée par Frédéric Lorin en juin 2020 qui fédère des amateurs et des passionnés d’art souhaitant promouvoir et soutenir la création artistique
Nous souhaitons donner de la visibilité aux artistes, leur permettre de créer et de produire. Nous aidons particulièrement les artistes émergeants, qui ont besoin de promotion et de soutien pour continuer à créer. Nous leur donnons des premiers réseaux pour qu’ils puissent vivre de leur art à l'avenir. Nous avons déjà monté deux expositions en 2020 et 2021. La mission n’a pas changé depuis 2020.
Cultur Foundry est un collectif de collectionneurs, personnes privées. Nous devons monter davantage de partenariats avec des entreprises privées. Ainsi, nous nous développons et accroissons notre visibilité.
Comment est-ce que Cultur Foundry conçoit chaque exposition?
Chaque membre du collectif peut proposer des artistes en lien avec le thème de l’exposition. Au final une quinzaine d’artistes sont sélectionnés. Nous choisissons des artistes talentueux qui sont diplômés d’écoles d’art reconnues. Il sont émergeants en ce sens qu’ils sont jeunes et sans galeries. Après leurs expositions avec nous, nous suivons leur parcours en galeries et en résidences. Dans nos expositions, nous avons aussi deux ou trois artistes reconnus qui sont “des locomotives” pour les autres.
En ce qui concerne les lieux, les espaces des expositions sont atypiques (exemple de l’espace K au Kremlin Bicêtre) et peuvent être différents à chaque exposition. Cela permet aussi d’ouvrir de nouveaux lieux à la création artistique.
Pourquoi travaillez-vous avec l’art contemporain et avec Cultur Foundry?
Je suis membre de Cultur Foundry depuis l’origine, c'est-à-dire 2020. J’ai donc pu participer au montage de deux premières expositions.
J’ai toujours aimé l’art et les sorties culturelles, telles que visiter l’École du Louvre et des expositions. Dans mon métier de Consultante RH, j’ai eu l’opportunité d’accompagner des artistes et des galeristes dans leur parcours professionnel. En 2019, je me suis rapprochée des galeries boulonnaises et j’ai rejoint l’association Carré sur Seine. Cela m’a permis de rencontrer des artistes et de m’intéresser de très près à l’art contemporain. L’adhésion à Cultur Foundry s’est donc faite naturellement et logiquement.
Quel est le thème de la prochaine exposition de Cultur Foundry?
La prochaine exposition est sur le thème de l’eau et son imaginaire et elle se tiendra à 36 Rue du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, à partir du 10 octobre 2022. À ce jour, nous avons le lieu, les artistes et la commissaire d’exposition.
About the Author: Mingyuan Dong
Ming has lived in China, the United States, and France. She speaks the languages of all three of these countries, as well as German. With these tongues, Ming enjoys traveling, visiting art museums around the world, and discussing all kinds of art with fellow art enthusiasts.
Ming grew up studying drawing in studios. Today, Ming spends most of her time making art, or studying the arts. She especially enjoys making works about linguistics, the natural environment, and living situations.
