Bastian THIERY c/o BIRD PRODUCTION photographs artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset for WALLPAPER Magazine shortly before their exhibition ‘L’Addition’ at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris
The exploration of contemporary masculinity is a thematic focus of artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, whose full names are Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. For over three decades, the artists have analysed social and political systems in a way that is as subversive as it is ingenious, skillfully recontextualizing the mainstream.
Bastian THIERY c/o BIRD PRODUCTION visited the two artists in their Berlin studio before the opening of their show at Musée D’Orsay in Paris.
Wallpaper writes : “This playful mindset underpins a major new show at Musée d’Orsay in Paris – which, for the first time in its 38-year history, is hosting a contemporary exhibition in its central sculpture nave. ‘L’Addition’, which opened on 15 October 2024, considers the effects of recontextualization alongside a figurative rethinking of classical motifs, with Elmgreen & Dragset’s works taking their cue from the 19th-century sculptures in the museum’s permanent collection.”
In this exhibition, too, the question of how we define gender has both inclusive and exclusive aspects: “Of course, much progress has been made and, fortunately, our understanding of gender and sexuality is much more fluid and complex today. The acceptance of non-binary identities represents true progress. But, at the same time, we are experiencing a concerning regression among some conservative-minded men who feel lost amid the shifts in society. They simply don’t know what their role is today, so they tend to cling to outdated, repressive ideas of power. Sometimes, it seems as if there is still a long way to go in redefining masculine roles. This is why it is so urgent to keep on pushing.” we quote Elmgreen & Dragset.
The museum tells us about the exhibition : “The Scandinavian enfants terribles of contemporary art, Elmgreen & Dragset, were invited to present their poetic sculptures in dialogue with the iconic sculpture nave of Musée d’Orsay.
The title ‘L’Addition’ describes the artists’ approach to creating an exhibition in the limited space of the ground floor of the museum. Elmgreen & Dragset have constructed an entirely new space above part of the sculpture nave, complemented by works presented in unexpected places in and around it.
The presentation, which explores the concept of augmentation, examines the role that technology plays in our lives today and features figures interacting with technological devices, juxtaposed with the 19th-century works in the Musée d’Orsay collection. These ‘additions’ transform the existing space and invite viewers to see it from a new perspective.”
Musée D’Orsay : Elmgreen & Dragset L’Addition, 15 October 2024 through 2 February 2025.
GoSee : musee-orsay.fr
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