Prix Meurice for Contemporary Art 2010/2011

Thierry Mouillé

Galerie Claudine Papillon

Born 1962. Lives in Poitiers.

Thierry Mouillé transforms, displaces and transposes objects and their meaning in peculiar, almost surreal productions. Each object can, beyond its inherent nature, adopt a new definition and purpose. Thierry Mouillé is the inventor of "situ-situations," a series of installations and objects which since 1988 he has grouped together under the Fondation Mouvante label. They express, despite their often light-hearted, almost unintentional appearance, a strong political message. His work is multi-dimensional, jigsaw-like. Since 2007, and his residency at Villa Medicis, Thierry Mouillé has extended his research from physical space to mental space; from dimensional space to digital space; from full space to empty space. Taking the path of the river Tiber (Tevere in Italian) as a guideline in the literal sense, Thierry Mouillé transformed the city into two entities, one on each side of the river. An advocate of "displacement," Thierry Mouillé is artistic heir to Raymond Hains for play on words, Robert Filliou for incongruous assemblies of objects, and Piero Manzoni for his pranks. Indeed, Manzoni, the creator of the Base of the World, is one of the artist's references.

Project
Brass Space is an evolutive space for playing, in the sense of both music and games. Musicians and composers are given tent frames made from hollow, tubular poles that can be slotted together and taken apart. Produced with the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in Paris, Brass Space will be presented by the Mort & Vif collective in Brussels, which organises an annual show to coincide with Art Brussels.

Selected shows:
Solo shows :
2009
La Fondation Mouvante volume V, Galerie Claudine Papillon, Paris
2008
Note Nera, Académie de France, Villa Medicis, Rome .

Group shows:
2010
Attractions, série de performances avec Catherine Baÿ, dans le cadre des RDV du Forum, Centre Georges Pompidou (21-27 juillet)
2010 Ecce Homo Ludens, Musée de Sérignan
2009
FRAC Aquitaine, Musée d’Agen
Collection du Fonds municipal de la ville de Paris, FIAC Cour carrée, Paris
2008
Des certitudes, sans doute(s), collection privée d’art contemporain, Musée de Picardie, École supérieure d’art et de design, Amiens
2007
Surréalités, Traces du Surréel dans l’art contemporain, Biel
2006
Joy, Casino de Luxembourg, Forum d’art contemporain.