The words to say it #1

It was not until the Surrealists that the weft and the warp suddenly began to form more complex patterns. From then on, the writer and the visual artist, whoever responded to the other’s proposal, strove to look beyond appearances to reveal, rather than describe, the other’s proposal. The text as a subtle enhancer of the work, and vice versa.

In the words to say it, we indulge in this mooring exercise. The choice of works of brut art and the texts that glisten in their wake thumb their nose at styles and eras to create unexpected affinities. The result is an exhibition that verifies Albert Camus’ assertion that writing is “the means of transmitting the soul of a work of art.”

For this first exhibition in the series the words to say it, we entrusted the curation to Laurianne Melierre, founder of PLUME, an agency for writing and editorial strategy led by journalists:

To remain pure, should an artwork be displayed without a text to accompany it? By creating a work, did the artist agree to have an unknown hand caption it? Could the act of describing ultimately just be a parasitic intrusion that would hinder the act of making art?

The words to say it #1 looks at this question from a fresh angle. Art brut artworks stand there, confident in themselves and their iconoclasm, ready to be viewed, almost alone. Yes, “almost”—for a remarkable collection of writings and textual experiences surrounds them.

Whether created specially for the exhibition or sourced from books and magazines, the overlap between the artworks and these eclectic texts—some of which written by visitors—generates something new. It is no longer a question of simply detailing the pieces but of echoing or confronting them, stirring doubts in us or piquing our curiosity, and even sometimes frustrating us. But never explaining or describing. This surprising dialogue creates a novel language and rouses unanticipated emotions. All that is left to do is to find the words to say it.