RECLAMER LA TERRE” exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo will soon be exhibiting a number of artists in its new new exhibition “ Reclaiming the Earth from April 15 to September 4, 2022.Kate Newby, a world-renowned artist of New Zealand origin, will be among the artists on show. For this reason, the Palais de Tokyo was
looking for a
company capable of supplying the raw material
and accompany him in his creation.
Rairies Montrieux, manufacturer of terracotta materialswas delighted to contribute its know-how and expertise to this artistic event. After having worked with artist Natsuko Uchino for an exhibition at the Musée de l’Art Moderne in Paris (Les Flammes – L’âge de la céramique), Rairies Montrieux is delighted to repeat the experience in
participating in the creation of this work with artist Kate Newby
for the Palais de Tokyo.
Kate Newby is a graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. In 2012, she received the Walters Prize, her country’s most important award for contemporary art.
Since the early 2010s, she has been creating
hand-crafted works
These are the result of in situ interventions. His work is exhibited internationally. She draws her inspiration from the urban environment, paying particular attention to details and discreet traces of informal use of public space. She observes specific techniques, listens to stories and immerses herself in the place where she acts.
For his next work, to be exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo, Rairies Montrieux welcomed the artist in residence. Kate Newby spent a whole week there. The a unique experience for both the company and the artistwho was delighted with the support and welcome she received from Rairies Montrieux.
Kate Newby worked on
five large squares of brick
where she attacked the earth with a small trowel, a drill or tools specially designed by Rairies Montrieux technicians. On this piece, the designer worked in small increments, as the clay was raw and the bricks damp. It took a lot of investment to remove the clay.
The approach is to work by subtraction, which is usually piled up to create volume, as in the case of building construction. Through this act of removing the material, theartist attempts to draw the viewer’s attention to the essential. She explained that she wanted the viewer to be able to touch the work.
The artist found this
enriching encounter
. As soon as she arrived in Durtal, she was struck by the wear and tear of the old terracotta floor tiles in the residence at the end of the world, and by a brick wall struck and punctured by machinery in the grounds of the Rairies Montrieux factory. For the company, the challenge was also considerable, as it had to dismantle the work brick by brick, artificially dry the material to bake it and deliver it within the time allotted for the five works to take their place in the Palais de Tokyo.
