MP: You have written extensively for each of these artists. Why your keen interest in their particular approach? HB: Artistic functioning—like that of Mary Sue, who is not a feminist—can be overtly critical and yet nonmilitant. Boris Chouvellon and Mengzhi Zheng address the human condition quite directly. Boris attends to the humblest small craftsmen of the African neighborhoods in Paris, Italian fishermen, imprisoned women, migrants. The issue of housing is at the center of Mengzhi’s work: responsive to his native China, he designs fragile constructions of scrap papers, which render the current sense of instability. Elsa Tomkowiak’s mastery stems from expansiveness, from her ability to think big, to deploy her colors in public places, like that of the hospital in Angers. It is this same need to vanquish, but by tracking through the continents, that animates the artistry of Sylvie Bonnot. Finally, the intimate is not to be overlooked. To be sensitive to perception with the acuity of Zhu Hong is more important to me than a demonstrative mantra. MP: We should, perhaps, point out that the three exhibitions evolved differently: the first gave rise to a problematic of an image, the second expanded into social dimensions, the third exposed the tension between image and object. All three are materially daring, formally innovative, and socially engaging. HB: It is paramount to observe different attitudes and viewpoints as to what it means to be an artist in a given generation. We can find complementarities in their worldview, which— in the cases of them all—doesn’t succumb to pessimism. The critical spirit and the positive outlook of these artists are very reassuring today. It confirms, I think, that we can carry on and not get entrapped in conformism. MP: These young artists feel comfortable to carry out their vocation in Europe. We can delight in their constructive optimism.
HB: European culture is no longer dominant, as it can no longer enjoy its ivory tower. The case in point is that two of the six French artists were born in China. There is no longer ethnocentrism. This is feasible due to our new means of communication, but we are not part of a global village, as Marshal McLuhan would make us think. It is artists, regardless of gender or origin, who bear witness to the vibrant reality of life. MP: There is a general uneasy sense about the effects of the current art market. What do you see as the principle challenges for young artists today? HB: Above all and as always, it is to have the means to keep on going in search of substance and acuity. The meaning of an artist’s life is in research and creation. This brings the market interest to art, but it is also what the art market can destroy when production outweighs creation. MP: The Amsterdam audiences have appreciated the French artists’ response to their city. What impressions did you hope the viewers would have from the program? HB: The sensation, the emotion of a fundamental aesthetic experience and an expanding curiosity for these intergenerational encounters. MP: What do you think we have accomplished in Making Things Happen? HB: To introduce a group of young creators to the Amsterdam audiences, and for the artists, to make an important contribution to their creative process. MP: As we discussed, we must round up the cycle based on its central themes, such as, significantly, the role of photography. What should we aim for? HB: La satisfaction de l’esprit.