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The Hair Project
opening 19. 80. 2011., Museum of Pazin, 21:00h

In the Museum of Pazin, French artist Clémence Agnes made ​​a sculpture of human hair. Presentation of her work in the old Castle was part of the guest performances of UrbanFestival at the Seven Days of Creation Festival in Pazin. Clémence and her assistant Magali L’huillier spent seven days working very closely and carefully producing a delicate and fragile sculpture in the space of the Castle. Clémence’s physical work and commitment always involves a certain loneliness, commitment and focus on the self and implies a long-term invisible work. The final product is also very difficult to spot, very subtle but spatially divorced, so this installation actually encompasses a considerably large volume. But to experience the sculpture, it is necessary to dedicate a special kind of attention. In this sense, it is not trivial that this sculpture is set in the Museum of Pazin, because it suggests how much attention, emotions and subtlety could, or maybe should, be dedicated to ones own heritage, which is also the thematic backbone of the Seven Days of Creation. Clémence’s sculptures, not only in this case, but predominantly, refer to the genius loci – the spirit of place that carries every space important to a particular community whilst also suggesting that the spirit of place is hard to rationally explain or descriptively exhibit, but instead needs to be, in the truest sense, experienced and undergone.

 

Foto: Nina Šperanda

 

Clémence Agnez – The Hair Project

Clémence Agnez (1984, FR) studied at École supérieure des beaux arts de Toulouse and École nationale des beaux arts de Bourges. She has specialized sculpture at Fibra Art Studio, Hong Kong University, China and is currently attending PHD program of philosophy and aesthetics at Université de Nanterre, Paris.

Her work questions borderline perceptive situations by creating ephemeral and subtle interventions responsive to their surroundings, shaping three dimensional structures using different materials such as dust, water, resin, plaster and most of all hair. The structures, which are hard to perceive at first sight, start to appear to the sharpening eye of the audience. With minimal means the space is redefined and given a new sense. The work relays on direct perception on a specific location, eluding the verbal description.

Agnez created a series of hair sculptures in various sites, from gallery spaces to public areas and even private apartments, at La Vitrine (Maribor, Slovenia), Laboatoire Art et Botanique (Versailles, France), Secret Exhibitions (Zagreb, Croatia) etc. In the framework of UrbanFestival she is invited to explore and react to rich historical heritage of Pazin and its natural diversity.