D’un BanKet à l’autre

About

The summer exhibition presented at the CENTRALE.lab, D’un BanKet à l’autre, recounts Françoise Schein’s ambitious project. The visual artist, born in Brussels, lives and works in Paris while following her projects around the world, especially in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo where she has set up two workshops to create artistic and social projects. Over more than 30 years, Françoise Schein has begun building a worldwide network of monumental works dedicated to themes around democratic issues and human rights. Engaged politically and sensitive to the historical evolution of fundamental rights, she sets up contemporary projects that joined the heritage of cities.

In 2016, CENTRALE initiated Le Grand BanKet, a participatory project born from workshops with residents and users of the Sainte-Catherine district, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of  CENTRALE for contemporary art. Since the festive inauguration on June 26, 2016, the tables have been adopted by residents, city dwellers, tourists, school groups and other passers-by in search of a convivial break, the project thus fitting perfectly into the urban fabric.

The exhibition D’un BanKet à l’autre highlights the work of Françoise Schein while placing it in the continuity of other similar projects in Europe. Plans, videos, photographs and texts document 5 banquets realised between 2012 and 2018 (Les Muraux, Brussels, Louvain-la-Neuve, Vienna, Paris). All of these elements highlight the social and political dimensions of projects resulting from a process based on creation as a sharing process.

For Françoise Schein, art embodies the social bond first and foremost.