The exhibition Étonner la catastrophe, whose title is borrowed from Les Misérables, brings together five young artists: June Balthazard, Mégane Brauer, Mathilde Chavanne, Hippolyte Cupillard and Jordan Paillet: June Balthazard, Mégane Brauer, Mathilde Chavanne, Hippolyte Cupillard and Jordan Paillet, all of whom studied at the Institut supérieur des beaux-arts de Besançon (ISBA).
Each of them, in his or her own way, embraces the major themes running through the work of the Besançon writer, which, regrettably, has lost none of its topicality. Through their films, installations and drawings, they evoke childhood and youth prey to current environmental, societal and political issues. Whether it's imagining rebellious children engaged in a 'crusade' against adults to save trees
(June Balthazard), asserting that they hold the keys to a calmer world (Hippolyte Cupillard), evoking "the possibility of re-enchanting ourselves together in and against a world that is going badly" (Mathilde Chavanne) or a precarious youth proudly reacting to the injustice and violence inflicted on them by our society (Mégane Brauer and Jordan Paillet), Taken as a whole, their works reflect a generation of resilient artists who are constantly staving off disaster, like the ruderal plants that, often deemed useless or even undesirable, flourish and overflow, gnawing away at the ruins and undermining the asphalt with their vital force.
Sylvie Zavatta, Director of the Frac.
