Site Visit is an ongoing virtual residency exhibition born of creative solidarity through the exchange of ideas, memories and hopes between the past, current and future residents of L'AiR Arts residency in Paris. Pivoting around the idea of the postcard as something sent across borders and the carte de visite as an object signifying meeting and connection, all of the artwork presented draws on the artists' thoughts and experiences that have felt pertinent to remember, reflect on, and crucially, share.
The title Site Visit refers to the importance of place, but also to the way we now visit online sites in place of physical meetings. The starting point for this project is the postcard, that signifies connections through distances, and the carte de visite that helps form connections through meeting, both tangible accessories of memory, travel and shared experience. It is a bit of a play on words from carte de visite as well as a play on the dynamic of sight/site and being in a place physically or virtually.
Crucially, the carte de visite, one of the earliest examples of a postcard, was patented in Paris. It offered one of the earliest ways to record and keep memories of places. Using a postcard or a carte de visite as a starting point, all artists and cultural professionals from L’AiR Arts residency network were invited to create a piece in a manageable format that connects back to history, to place and to traditions of intercultural exchange, which has always been at the core of the L’AiR Arts mission. This idea is a way to push the memories, photos snapped, thoughts scribbled, artworks created there and since, and bring everyone together in a way that encapsulates the L’AiR Arts artists network.
Through an ongoing and collaborative submission process, artists have produced work across all mediums, from painting and collage, to video and text pieces, each responding uniquely to the theme and demonstrating the continuing resonances across current events and lived experiences.
As a project that began during nationwide lockdowns in different countries around the world, the objective of the exhibition was for artists to work towards something, to remain connected and engaged with intercultural communication and interaction and to 'visit' new spaces virtually through the format of an online showcase. By pairing artists together and offering the opportunity for further conversation, many new connections have been created with artists discovering interesting crossovers and new creative possibilities, despite physical distancing. The exhibition remains ongoing, with the adjacent Artists in Conversation series presenting different ways to engage with the artists and their artworks.
The title Site Visit refers to the importance of place, but also to the way we now visit online sites in place of physical meetings. The starting point for this project is the postcard, that signifies connections through distances, and the carte de visite that helps form connections through meeting, both tangible accessories of memory, travel and shared experience. It is a bit of a play on words from carte de visite as well as a play on the dynamic of sight/site and being in a place physically or virtually.
Crucially, the carte de visite, one of the earliest examples of a postcard, was patented in Paris. It offered one of the earliest ways to record and keep memories of places. Using a postcard or a carte de visite as a starting point, all artists and cultural professionals from L’AiR Arts residency network were invited to create a piece in a manageable format that connects back to history, to place and to traditions of intercultural exchange, which has always been at the core of the L’AiR Arts mission. This idea is a way to push the memories, photos snapped, thoughts scribbled, artworks created there and since, and bring everyone together in a way that encapsulates the L’AiR Arts artists network.
Through an ongoing and collaborative submission process, artists have produced work across all mediums, from painting and collage, to video and text pieces, each responding uniquely to the theme and demonstrating the continuing resonances across current events and lived experiences.
As a project that began during nationwide lockdowns in different countries around the world, the objective of the exhibition was for artists to work towards something, to remain connected and engaged with intercultural communication and interaction and to 'visit' new spaces virtually through the format of an online showcase. By pairing artists together and offering the opportunity for further conversation, many new connections have been created with artists discovering interesting crossovers and new creative possibilities, despite physical distancing. The exhibition remains ongoing, with the adjacent Artists in Conversation series presenting different ways to engage with the artists and their artworks.
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Curatorial concept
Pivoting around the symbolism, associations and format of the postcard and carte de visite, this exhibition is a collective project that brings together artists from around the world to share and celebrate intercultural connection and artistic engagement. The title SITE VISIT refers to the importance of place, but also to the way we now visit online sites in place of physical meetings. It’s a bit of a play on words from carte de visite as well as a play on the dynamic of sight/site and being in a place physically or virtually.
Postcards are ways that we can connect with each other, or connect ourselves with the place they’re from as keepsakes. Perhaps they connect us with the person we were ourselves, when in a particular place. Maybe it’s the only way we can purchase an artwork at our current budget from that place but it’s still a special way to bring a part of the trip and art back to our homes.
The carte de visite is one of the earliest examples of a postcard - where instead of a letter accompanied by small illustrations or keepsakes - an image and an accompanying caption was used to present a place, a people, an experience. Crucially, the carte de visite was patented in Paris. It offered one of the earliest ways to record and keep memories of places through photography. The trend of collecting images and the portraits of loved ones, celebrities and places became ubiquitous through the carte de visite - because of its format and relative accessibility from being inexpensive. Adapted from a calling card, and later transforming into a business card, the carte de visite was a means of person to person connection, passed from hand to hand in its manageable size. In this way there is a divergence between the function of a carte de visite as a signifier of presence and meeting through exchange, and the postcard as a symbol of journeying and distance being travelled.
The prompt of a postcard or carte de visite is to locate this exhibition in connection with art history, the practice of recording time and place and occasion. This idea is a way to push the memories, photos snapped, thoughts scribbled, artworks created there and since, and bring everyone together in a way that encapsulates the L’AiR Arts network’s artists.
- Clare Patrick
Pivoting around the symbolism, associations and format of the postcard and carte de visite, this exhibition is a collective project that brings together artists from around the world to share and celebrate intercultural connection and artistic engagement. The title SITE VISIT refers to the importance of place, but also to the way we now visit online sites in place of physical meetings. It’s a bit of a play on words from carte de visite as well as a play on the dynamic of sight/site and being in a place physically or virtually.
Postcards are ways that we can connect with each other, or connect ourselves with the place they’re from as keepsakes. Perhaps they connect us with the person we were ourselves, when in a particular place. Maybe it’s the only way we can purchase an artwork at our current budget from that place but it’s still a special way to bring a part of the trip and art back to our homes.
The carte de visite is one of the earliest examples of a postcard - where instead of a letter accompanied by small illustrations or keepsakes - an image and an accompanying caption was used to present a place, a people, an experience. Crucially, the carte de visite was patented in Paris. It offered one of the earliest ways to record and keep memories of places through photography. The trend of collecting images and the portraits of loved ones, celebrities and places became ubiquitous through the carte de visite - because of its format and relative accessibility from being inexpensive. Adapted from a calling card, and later transforming into a business card, the carte de visite was a means of person to person connection, passed from hand to hand in its manageable size. In this way there is a divergence between the function of a carte de visite as a signifier of presence and meeting through exchange, and the postcard as a symbol of journeying and distance being travelled.
The prompt of a postcard or carte de visite is to locate this exhibition in connection with art history, the practice of recording time and place and occasion. This idea is a way to push the memories, photos snapped, thoughts scribbled, artworks created there and since, and bring everyone together in a way that encapsulates the L’AiR Arts network’s artists.
- Clare Patrick
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Artwork Reference Drawing on three of On Kawara’s series I Went, I Met and I Got Up, this exhibition hopes to bring together artists from around the world, who have a shared experience of L’AiR Arts residencies in Paris, a common memory of the power of place, creative power and a nostalgia for the people and conversations that were had, at a time when we could be together in person. Just like On Kawara’s postcards that were gathered from around the world, and sent with a sense of repetition but also connection and consistency over several years, this exhibition is intended to become a continuous project connecting together artists from different continents and different sessions across the different years of L’AiR Arts residency programme. |
On Kawara, I Got Up
Part of Kawara’s artistic process was also that when he traveled and met new people, he asked them to give him a business card or write down their name so that he could read and remember it. Ultimately, these points of connection and recordings led to the artworks we now know and love.
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Invitation to Participate
All artists and cultural professionals from L’AiR Arts residency network are invited to contribute. This call for work is broad and open-ended, to allow for a multiplicity of works in all genres and mediums. This exhibition is intended to become a continuous project connecting together artists from different continents and different sessions across the different years of L’AiR Arts residency programme. This call for work is broad and open-ended, to allow for a multiplicity of works in all genres and mediums.
The streets of Paris resound with the footsteps of brilliant artists, architects, musicians, dancers, playwrights, designers, thinkers and poets - walking along similar paths, under tall trees and looking out those large Parisian atelier windows that let in so much light. During this time of the coronavirus pandemic when we cannot travel to Paris and meet easily, we could all use a little bit of reliability, steadiness and especially connection. With this in mind, we invite all the residency participants, past and future, to participate in this exhibition as an opportunity to reconnect and contribute freely. The starting point for this project is the postcard, that signifies connections through distances, and the carte de visite that helps form connections through meeting. Both tangible accessories of memory, travel and shared experience, that connect us back to history, to place and to traditions of intercultural exchange, which has always been at the core of the L’AiR Arts mission.
Using a postcard or a carte de visite as a reference point, this is an invitation to create in a manageable format that can take on various forms. Perhaps a memory bank, a record of experiences in reflection of our time in Paris, or the experiences that came after, or the works that were in preparation before that were continued. Your work could become a conversation with another artist or just be a self-reflexive process. Depending on access to postal systems, this work can be a collaboration or a solo project within the broader collaborative nature of this exhibition concept.
A postcard or carte de visite can be the base starting point:
For further information about the exhibition, including submission guidelines, please see the project document. If you have any questions or would like to submit the work, please contact us at [email protected].
All artists and cultural professionals from L’AiR Arts residency network are invited to contribute. This call for work is broad and open-ended, to allow for a multiplicity of works in all genres and mediums. This exhibition is intended to become a continuous project connecting together artists from different continents and different sessions across the different years of L’AiR Arts residency programme. This call for work is broad and open-ended, to allow for a multiplicity of works in all genres and mediums.
The streets of Paris resound with the footsteps of brilliant artists, architects, musicians, dancers, playwrights, designers, thinkers and poets - walking along similar paths, under tall trees and looking out those large Parisian atelier windows that let in so much light. During this time of the coronavirus pandemic when we cannot travel to Paris and meet easily, we could all use a little bit of reliability, steadiness and especially connection. With this in mind, we invite all the residency participants, past and future, to participate in this exhibition as an opportunity to reconnect and contribute freely. The starting point for this project is the postcard, that signifies connections through distances, and the carte de visite that helps form connections through meeting. Both tangible accessories of memory, travel and shared experience, that connect us back to history, to place and to traditions of intercultural exchange, which has always been at the core of the L’AiR Arts mission.
Using a postcard or a carte de visite as a reference point, this is an invitation to create in a manageable format that can take on various forms. Perhaps a memory bank, a record of experiences in reflection of our time in Paris, or the experiences that came after, or the works that were in preparation before that were continued. Your work could become a conversation with another artist or just be a self-reflexive process. Depending on access to postal systems, this work can be a collaboration or a solo project within the broader collaborative nature of this exhibition concept.
A postcard or carte de visite can be the base starting point:
- leading to a larger work made up of a grid of postcard sized blocks
- perhaps it’s a postcard sized painting, drawing, collage or a clay tile
- or layers and layers of postcards stacked together and carved
- a video/sound piece using a postcard as a reference (or translating the size into duration – eg 5x7” = 00:57 or 05:70)
- perhaps it’s a text or a haiku (5,7,5 syllables)
- Etc…
For further information about the exhibition, including submission guidelines, please see the project document. If you have any questions or would like to submit the work, please contact us at [email protected].
Graphic design: Anastasia Venkova