François Piron. The Process of Learning in Times of Rightfulness
Join us on Thursday, 10 April at 6:30 p.m. at the National
Gallery of Art for a public talk by French art critic, publisher,
and curator François Piron. In this keynote lecture, Piron will
reflect on his professional journey in criticism, writing, editing
and publishing, emphasising the importance of a commitment to
openness, curiosity, friendship and learning. This lecture marks
the opening of this year's programme of events dedicated to
discussions on art criticism, art writing and critical practices,
organised in the context of the Visual Art Criticism Awards.
'Twenty-five years of practice haven't dissipated the doubts. When
I'm asked what I do, words never come in the same order. What is
the purpose of people like me? In retrospect, I believe we help
memorise things that might otherwise be forgotten. How is that? By
every means possible: chatting, writing, curating, teaching,
editing, publishing.
I would like to share how I created tools that seemed good for
nothing, and became good for everything. I would like to share how
friendship is what remains when you're tired of endless production.
I would like to share how I keep learning, which is to say I want
to keep saying, "I don't know".' - François Piron.
François Piron is an exhibition curator, art
critic, teacher, editor and publisher based in Paris. He operates
as a senior curator at the Palais de Tokyo. Over the past 20 years,
he created several independent structures in the field of
contemporary art, and co-manages the cooperative publishing house
Paraguay in Paris (www.paraguaypress.com). His curatorial work has
focused extensively on relationships between art and literature,
but also between art, history and the social sciences, striving to
make marginalized areas of culture visible, questioning the role of
institutions. Recent publications include a book of interviews with
philosopher and publisher Sylvère Lotringer, as well as a
contribution to the book Queer Exhibition Histories (Valiz, 2023);
recent exhibitions include Exposed (Palais de Tokyo, 2023), on the
impact of the AIDS epidemic on the art since the 1990s, and
Approaching Unreason (Palais de Tokyo,2024) on relationships
between experimental psychiatry and collective artistic
practices.
Lecture will be held in English. Free of charge, no prior
registration needed. Event is organised in the context of the
Visual Art Criticism Awards.
Organised by: Artnews.lt, Contemporary Art Centre, National
Gallery of Art Financed by Lithuanian Council for Culture
18:30
Join us on Thursday, 10 April at 6:30 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art for a public talk by French art critic, publisher, and curator François Piron.