Last Trip of 2012 - Frac Forever

Imagine walking around with a very small flashlight in a large dark room with photographs on the walls. The flashlight is so small that you can only see the artwork when you are very close to it. That’s how Frac Forever was organized in Centre Pompidou – Metz. But what exactly is Frac Forever about? According to the website of the museum,

As part of its cultural mission of showcasing public collections, the Centre Pompidou-Metz has invited the Frac Lorraine (Fonds régional d’art contemporain – Regional Contemporary Art Collection) to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Frac venues in France.

Over two hundred works from the photography collection of the Frac Lorraine will be presented in Galerie 3 at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, which will be plunged into darkness providing the visitor with a unique experience. (…) Nearly sixty artists will be presented including Bernd and Hilla Becher, Nicholas Nixon, Roman Opalka, Peter Downsbrough, Willie Doherty, Hamish Fulton, Roman Signer, Gina Pane, Esther Ferrer, Joel-Peter Witkin, William Wegman, Marine Hugonnier, Eric Poitevin, Lee Friedlander, Balthasar Burkhard, etc.

It was indeed a unique experience! When you enter the room, you are immediately disorientated because of the complete darkness. Once your eyes have become accustomed to it, you can see little lights everywhere, produced by the flashlights of the other visitors. The photographs are organized according to different themes like for example Wonder Woman, which explores how female artists approach political and social questions. And what about Nuits et Songes, about the different sense of reality evoked by the night.

Walking around in this exhibition felt like walking around in a dream. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was spooky. I took some pictures while we were there, but since it was so dark, I couldn’t find my tripod. My pictures are therefore a bit shaky.

Frac Forever runs until 25 February 2013. To be highly recommended!

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