What makes this work genius? The confusion of wandering in, the sheer awe and overwhelming visual impact, and the what the hell is going on discovery of it all.

Pick up a €2 glass of wine at the bar, head over to the tape-covered couches, and enjoy being a part of Thomas Hirschhorn’s latest œuvre at the Palais de Tokyo– Paris’ leading contemporary art museum.

“Flame Éternelle,” at first glance a wasteland of tires and spray painted propaganda, is in fact an entire reality. This 2000 sq meter space is now a vivid social laboratory. It induces a hyper self-awareness from which comes vast reflection.

Within the artwork are a bar, computers for public use, and a small library. TVs stand ready in front of couches for the public to plop down next to strangers and watch a good movie. Meanwhile, writers, poets, and philosophers read their work aloud, the microphone projecting over the entire space. And of course, many viewers build on, add too, and play with the environment.

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This isn’t art to look at, it’s a living sculpture to be at one with.

Here’s what the artist wants you to know:

  1. This isn’t a a cultural event, it’s a call for art to be an experience.
  2. His invitation to have writers, philosophers, and poets actively participate helps him reach out to the public more deeply and completely. “This friendship is based on the job we artists share: to confront what is beyond us and what we fail to understand.” 
  3. He wanted to create a physical space for the their art and ideas. “Confronting their ideas and their thoughts can help us confront the time we are living in. They can help us confront the reality we are in, and they can help us confront the world we live in.”
  4. The artwork is dedicated to what is active and never stops: thought. “Having an idea means having something to burn. The ‘Eternal Flame’ has to be nurtured with this fuel.”

Positive or negative, it’s impossible to not have a reaction to the work as a whole. “Flamme Éternelle” is an permanent spark of inspiration. So go in and get a vodka, stay and draw on the walls, then realize you’re a part of the contemporary art that will be talked about forever.

Flame Eternelle
PALAIS DE TOKYO
13, avenue du Président Wilson
Metro: Iéna
Exhibition April 25-June 23
Hours: Noon to Midnight (12pm – 12am)
http://flamme-eternelle.com/

Article : Amanda Hinton

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