LOAN – “Milles et une vies” – Group exhibition, Espace Monte-Cristo, Fondation Villa Datris
The Collection RAJA – Art Contemporain is delighted to lend a sculpture by Jean-François Fourtou (Nanitos series) to the “Milles et une vies” exhibition, held at Espace Monte-Cristo from April 19 to December 14, 2025 (curated by Pauline Ruiz and Jules Fourtine).
The sculpture is accompanied by other works by the artist (sculptures Escargots from 2022 and Papillon n°4 from 2020), and by a mural created by Julie Chabenet, thus evoking the stagings Jean-François Fourtou has created for Maison Hermès window displays (New York, Shanghai, etc.).
« Through a selection of over thirty sculptures by French and international artists, the Mille and une vies exhibition proposes an exploration of different facets, both intimate and universal, of the individual as a natural and social being. When sculptors represent human beings in three dimensions, they tend to reveal the hidden face of who or what we are. Whether organic or imaginary, the Mille and une vies artworks explore the notion of otherness, questioning the hybridity residing in each of us, as well as our relationship with Life, as seen in the work of Stephan Balkenhol and Prune Nourry. Numerous works, from Nick Cave to Marilou Poncin, navigate the construction of social identity, and finally viewers encounter the different faces of the Other hidden deep within our being, as enjoined by Hans Op de Beeck and Kiki Smith. The Mille and une vies journey concludes with an interior garden uniting sculptures by Sophie Lavaux and Antonella Zazzera in a harmonious, peaceful ecosystem emanating a delicate, contemplative atmosphere. Conceived as an introspective pathway into unknown corners of being, the Mille and une vies exhibition gently and poetically explores our relationship with identity. Questioning the fragility of the curated self, the exhibition proudly deploys a range of nuance around lifestyles, as well as notions of gender and origin, to better understand and recognize, in our differences, the Others with whom we are one. »
📷 : Exposition Mille et une vies, Espace Monte-Cristo (Fondation Villa Datris, Paris) / Photo © Bertrand Michau, Adagp, Paris, 2025
Jean François Fourtou, Sans titre (Nanitos aux caisses), 2019, resin, metal and synthetic materials, 210 x 60 x 80 cm © Adagp, Paris, 2025
To learn more: Espace Monte-Cristo
