On the Ground: Cinzia Cremona and Claire Deniau
Central Saint Martins graduates Cinzia Cremona and Claire Deniau talk about the show they curated, Contact, at Espace Lhomond, in Paris in May 2005.
The show combined paintings, photographs, video and sculpture by CSM alumni Didi Gaudron, Deborah Hirst, Isambard Poulson, with work by Cremona and Deniau themselves. Jo Stiles and Emma Graves ask Cremona and Deniau about the show.
This interview is taken with persmission from the University of the Arts Alumni Association magazine.
What prompted you to put together an exhibition in Paris?
CD: I graduated from BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins in 2004, and moved back to Paris. After spending five years in London, I felt isolated in Paris, so I decided to organise this exhibition to build up contacts and to show the quality of work by artists who graduated from Central Saint Martins.
CC: An international exhibition was a great opportunity to reinforce the bond we had developed at College. We realised that these connections are a precious asset and that it is important to keep them alive with concrete projects.
How did you invite, gather and choose submissions?
CC: We emailed a call for submissions. We chose pieces that communicated and enhanced each other's qualities. We have strong feelings that art should be an integral part of everyday life and vice versa, so we selected work that addressed this issue in different ways.
How did you find gallery space?
CD: As I was based in Paris, I contacted the City Hall, which provided me with a list of potential spaces. I also used word of mouth through personal connections.
How did you market the show?
CD: The title Contact expressed many of our aims and ideas, and it works in French and
English. We put together a statement of our intentions, a description of the space and the dates, as well as images and CVs of the artists in both languages. We also created a visual identity for the show.
CC: Claire also designed a website and with the help of friends and family, we distributed invitations to galleries and to the press.
How did you source funding?
CD: We prepared a different presentation file for potential sponsors and approached companies that we thought would be interested in Anglo-French connections: banks, travel companies, lawyers, consulting companies, as well as wine companies for the private view. We had a very short time and it wasn't enough to raise all the money, but we were lucky enough to have been offered a space without a fee and support from University of the Arts London.
CC: We also asked the artists to help and they all contributed. This was very important and it made us feel that they appreciated our efforts to organise a good event.
Could you explain the logistics and challenges behind organising such an exhibition?
CC: Curating an exhibition in another country poses different logistical problems. Claire took care of the space and PR in Paris and I worked with the artists in London. Having selected Didi Gaudron's sculptures, we had to find a way to deliver them to Paris safely. The most practical option was to hire a van, which I drove from London to Paris.
What were the outcomes and what did you learn from the experience?
CC: Claire and I learnt a lot about being professional artists and will continue to work together. Some of the artists produced new work and were stimulated by the experience of Contact to develop their practice. All the artists in the exhibition sold work and many are planning to organise exhibitions themselves. We made contact with many French alumni and Claire will soon start regular meetings with them in Paris. But the most important lesson is that we can create a context for our work, without counting on existing structures.
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