7 GALLERIES // 7 WEEKS

Pompidou Centre
Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France

I entered by a blessing. It was my first day in Paris. I was so excited but naive. I had no comprehension of Pairs queues in the height of summer. Coming from the Marais, I wandered in to Centre Pompidou at 11am on a Tuesday, not realising I had walked in through the Library. After moments of confusion with the security guard, he directed me to the gallery where I bought a ticket; it wasn’t until I went up the escalator and looked out through the floor to ceiling windows that I saw queues that weaved and through the streets of Paris. It was then that I realised I had snuck into the gallery. I then spent three hours viewing the permanent collection on the top two floors. After, I went to the rooftop and had a glass of Rose and Olives overlooking Paris. It was so special, I am crying now. I felt so happy and free to be sitting alone in Paris. There were blue skies. Not one cloud on the horizon. I was alone and it didn’t matter. This was the first gallery I went to in Paris. I had studied all these works in school and studied them in books, now I had just seen them in Paris. The sheer size of the space and the body of work was phenomenal. The glass walls, exposed beams and pigeons perched on the building heightened the viewing experience in every sense of the word. The natural light that flowed through into every room, allowed me to feel each artwork in their most honest state. I felt like it was a maze, every room was connected with hallways and little glass walkways; I was so cautious with every room that I walked into to ensure I didn’t missed anything, this meant I saw each artwork multiple times! It was so special seeing so many French works in France; an epicentre for the arts and culture. In such an extraordinary building, in an extraordinary city surrounded by extraordinary works, everything just comes together and you feel it. I was so happy, I was beaming. It wasn’t just a special place for me, it can be a special place for anyone. It is crazy that amazing art and spaces can have such a moving impact on people; no matter how old or different their experience in life has been.

Musée D’orsay
1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 75007 Paris, France

Van Gogh spoke to me. I looked at this broken man with such talent, I did not cry but I teared up. His work in Musée Dorsay was so beautiful. I was so sad for his life, I felt his pain in his painting. His eyes judged himself so harshly. I too, fall victim to judging my own self with such brutality. I felt connected to such notions.

Contrary to the sadness in his self-portrait, the opposing wall presented ‘Starry Night Over Rhone.’ The reflected of the stars on the water invites the voyeur to immerse themselves in the Starry Night, watching over Rhone with Van Gogh. To me, it depicted a beautiful way of viewing the world. When viewing Van Gogh’s bedroom, I was overcome with a wave of nostalgia as I was suddenly transported to my year 5 art class. I recalled replicating the bedroom in a class activity. I too recalled the art class, where we learned about a whimsical artist who had chopped his ear off. Since, I have grown to love and connect with this man, his sadness and emotional difficulty.

Bonnard’s ‘L’homme et la femme’ perfectly encapsulated the intimacy between man and woman. The woman is artfully sprawled across the bed whilst the man stands at the right of the frame, provoking the question as to what has transpired between the two; a consummation of love? a disagreement? the beginning of an evening? the culmination of an evening? The question did not need to be answered as the tenderness between this man and woman was felt.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s ‘Woman Lying on Her Back – Lassitude, Study for “Elles”, 1896’ spoke to me in a profound manner; the simple placement of the woman’s hand on her inner thigh provoked questions of female sexuality and intimacy. The woman appears conflicted, both empowered and defeated; encapsulating the paradigm of female sexuality and our reliance on men.

Similarly, Bonnard’s ‘Woman Dozing on a Bed, 1899’ presents a woman in her most vulnerable and delicate state. The soft colour pallet imbues nuances of femininity.

Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
11 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France

The enormity and diversity of works within MAM allowed me to fully indulge in artworks spanning centuries, emotions, mediums and movements. The gallery was wonderfully curated in a way that took you through centuries; nonetheless you were able to move backward and forward at will, transporting you through time. Often, I would find myself wandering in circles through the intricately curated rooms, gravitating to artworks I adored. The room I felt most connected to was of Matisse’s three large dancing figures. In such an enormous space, I was the only one in the room. Shocked by the sheer size of the work, I was overwhelmed with symbiosis; the pallet, the stillness of the room, and the solitude, came together.

Palais De Toyko
13 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France

Clément Cogitore’s ‘L’Intervalle de résonance’ held my attention. The artwork pursues his exploration of the rational and legendary reverberation of ungraspable phenomena. The film intersects the notion of spirituality and the unexplained phenomena which is the sound permitted by the Northern Lights. I felt that the artwork beautifully demonstrated the way in which as humans we seek profound meaning in what it means to be alive; and how we indulge in stories about the afterlife. The artwork was completely immersive as you lay on spaciously distanced bean bags. In the enormous concrete room, the film was projected onto the entire back wall of the gallery, I was transported into the stories told.

Picasso Museum Barcelona
Carrer Montcada, 15-23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

I was enamoured by Picasso. A gallery rich in education; sharing with each voyeur the life and work of Picasso. My favourite moment in the gallery was learning about his relationship with Jacqueline, his second wife. I felt his love for her as it was so strongly conveyed in his works; particularly those towards the end of his life. In fact, Jacqueline set up the gallery, donating all the works to his hometown of Barcelona. Their love was felt in the space. Later at Centre Pompidou, I saw a work titled “Portrait of Jacqueline” and I cried. It was a simple figure study of her, but her presence and expression was so powerful. Her facial features, such as her nose and brows were so poignantly defined. He knew her and it was felt in this study. I loved their love and that he was so emotionally consumed by her, a true muse.

Stedlijk Museum Amsterdam
Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

A contemporary gallery, I reflect upon the most contemporary work. There was a ball pit filled with white balls, 4 people sat in it at a time with headphones on. Above each person lying down was a screen which played found footage on a loop. Content included Japanese anime porn, rabbits being shot, a hoarders room, obese people over eating and a man crushing watermelon with his thighs. It was bizarre. Lying there I questioned what the artist was trying to convey. I didn’t feel uncomfortable as such as I had been in the presence of similar art before. I didn’t connect with the piece as I felt like it was almost contrived. I found it very confusing. This feeling of confusion left once leaving the pit. In contrast, a work that achieved a feeling I believe that first artist was trying to convey was a room filled with projections on each wall. In the middle was a huge swing that you could sit on. Sitting on the swing, a transformative shadow would show.

Foam Amsterdam
Keizersgracht 609, 1017 DS Amsterdam

Currently showcasing a retrospective on Helmut Newton, I found each photograph equally challenging, intriguing and beautiful. As an art lover who strongly identifies with feminist ideals, I found his photographs encapsulating female sexuality liberating yet at times confronting. As the madonna and the whore complex remains prominent in many art forms, many of Newtons images digress from this notion as he displays beautiful women taking control of their sexuality creating a space where females can feel empowered and excited about their own desires. Nevertheless; a select few images portray the male subject in an immensely powerful and dominant role, conforming to the paradigm that has often been the male and female sexual relationship.

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