If you’re yearning to forage into an authentic, contemporary French artist’s living space, jump to the home/atelier of a very unusual duo who open up their private space to everyone. They have converted this former foundry with its original features and forged a unique, eclectic gallery space that looks like what it is. It is predominately a home, albeit one that lends itself to regular and informal showcases for performers, video artists, writers, designers, sculptors and so forth.  The artist/curator team have come up with a wonderful way of exposing artists without venturing down the traditional, “pristinely-white-washed backdrop” path. Here, amongst the array of objects of desire for sale and on “display”, is a little corner shop stocked with designer T-shirts, CDs and books. Make yourself at home on weekends (consult the site for details of events), and armed with an “apéro”, let your senses succomb to the music, lecture, video or debate in progress. The space is, of course, open on weekdays, but better to follow the “by appointment” route before hand. Muriel Colin Barrand and Pierre Lardeau are all about democratizing and exposing art without all the fuss, but we think that art lovers might still take some time getting used to just walking into their home off the street. Then again, this perhaps IS the idea; fast forward and forecast an imminent shift in rendering emerging artists more tangible, real and circumventing the traditional art circus, erm, circuit. This has been done before you say? Yes it has, so let’s presume that the age of the early 20-century “salon” returns. Gertrude Stein, how we love what you spawned. Unfortunately, absinthe is no longer on the agenda.

http://c.o.n.s.o.l.e.free.fr
c.o.n.s.o.l.e@free.fr 

14, rue de la Folie Regnault, 75011 Paris
code 7014 cloche
M° Charonne ou Philippe-Auguste
+33 (0)1 43 56 28 22