The spirit of time is its epic breath, the lofty crest of our unfolding era…
In its frantic acceleration, contemporary history is being driven at a relentless pace by a humanity caught in direct confrontation with the present. It has crashed headlong into the Anthropocene era of immediacy and the technological era of urgency. Distance from unfolding events has been abolished. Discernment has become a tightrope act. Humanity seems increasingly to endure rather than live, struggling breathlessly to regain its footing. Ill at ease with the past, finding the present already almost obsolete, it has eyes only for the world to come, yet seeks to understand which world that will be.
And yet, humans have been pursuing the same questions tirelessly since the beginning of time. The history of art bears witness to this. From century to century, artists whisper to each other the same universal and timeless themes: exile, identity, beauty, power, the meaning of history... The meaning of history, indeed…
In these photographic tableaux, in these writing installations, the scripted realities oscillate between theatricality and testimony of our times. They are part of a historical continuum and reveal truths about the world we inhabit. Thus, the artistic work that captures the spirit of an era does not merely document reality; it transfigures it, explores it, and raises the question of what it means to „be alive“ in a world in perpetual transformation.
Gérard Rancinan
Gérard Rancinan is an international artist whose photographic work is exhibited in the most prestigious museums worldwide and is part of major contemporary art collections. Deeply engaged with his time, he strives to be an attentive witness through the artistic transposition of staged photography and experimental works, always imbued with contemporary reflection. Rancinan has received numerous prestigious awards and has also been named Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Caroline Gaudriault
Caroline Gaudriault is an international curator for prestigious museums and a French author of artistic books and essays, translated into multiple languages. She creates literary installations to make visible a content.
Journalist for many years for international magazines, she has analyzed major societal events. She collaborates with international thinkers and artists and has authored works with figures such as American political scientist Francis Fukuyama and French artist Pierre Soulages.
Gérard Rancinan and Caroline Gaudriault have been intertwining their artistic perspectives for over twenty-five years. They develop artistic projects together, fostering a dialogue that begins with photography and writing and extends into installations and cinematic works.
