Hello Monaco #10 Winter 2020–2021 | Page 108

ANTIQUITY MEETS СONTEMPORARY ART AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN NICE
« THE 165 METRE LONG MERMAID AND OTHER STORIES » AT THE VILLA PALOMA IN MONACO
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ANTIQUITY MEETS СONTEMPORARY ART AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN NICE

Until March 28 , 2021

One of the School of Nice ’ s most outstanding figures is taking over the Cimiez Archaeological Museum . « Sosno squats among Antiquity » is an original interaction of twenty monumental sculptures by the artist - working with the Roman remains at this major archaeological venue . Sosno has chosen « obliteration for a better expression of the presence ». His voids , gaps and cuts only emphasize the essence of a figure . This artistic language is perfectly suited for these ruins — we only get to see a small part , having to guess what the whole structure was like .

Sosno ’ s gods and heroes , like Venus , Poseidon , the Discobolus , feature bright , stark colours , offering a new dimension of space and vision of the Roman baths and alleys . The surrounding buildings and the Matisse Museum are also perceived under a different light .
© Nicole Laffont
This walk , with clever scenography designed by the artist ’ s widow , Mascha Sosno , and Director of Nice Archaeological Museums , Bertrand Roussel , holds many surprises . Playing with lines and shapes , they have created a number of « eye traps » suggesting a new reality across landscapes and centuries .
© Nicole Laffont
This exhibition is not to be missed . This visit is particularly enjoyable at the very start of spring , when nature is reborn and the gardens sprinkled with new colours .
Archaeological Museum 160 Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez , Nice + 33 ( 0 ) 4 9381 5957

« THE 165 METRE LONG MERMAID AND OTHER STORIES » AT THE VILLA PALOMA IN MONACO

Until May 02 , 2021
« A good traveler has no itinerary and no concept of a destination », Lao Tzu famously said . He leaves himself at the mercy of winds , landscapes , encounters , animals , vegetation and sounds of life . That ’ s exactly what Shimabuku is doing . Before choosing a career as an artist he wanted to become a poet or a tourist guide … These days he is travelling the world .
The town of Fukuoka , in southern Japan , exposed him to the legend of a 165-metre long mermaid . The artist then bought a rope of the same length , hoping to grasp this womanfish ’ s mystery and bring the myth into reality .
Shimabuku Erect 2017 – 2018 Installation , video-projection : digital file , colour , sound . 5 ’ 53 ‘’ film , looped

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rope is forging links between Monaco , the Japanese city of Fukuoka via Australia and the west coast of the United States … This amusing and not quite rational journey is Shimabuku ’ s dream coming true . This year , the Villa Paloma is exhibit-
© the artist courtesy of the artist and Air de Paris , Romainville
ing the artist ’ s legendary work « I ’ m traveling with a 165-metre mermaid ».
Acquired by the New National Museum of Monaco in 2018 , « I ’ m traveling with a 165-metre mermaid » is the starting point of the exhibition . Following Shimabuku in his epic travels , we are witnessing a meeting of mermaids and octopuses , a fish and a potato , or pickles being made aboard a barge ...
NMNM . Villa Paloma 56 Boulevard du Jardin Exotique , Monaco + 377 9898 4860
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