Jacques Kaufmann - "Origine / L'ombre d'un doute" - 2021 - 53.5 x 53.5 cm - Impression sur terre
This exhibition is built around comparisons between select pieces from the Barbier-Mueller collections and works that Jacques Kaufmann has produced in his studio and around the world, over a long stretch of time, the aim being to identify similarities – as well as differences – between them. The exhibition juxtaposes works of different origins, time periods and materials, suggesting resonances but also inviting viewers to create their own connections. Ultimately, it is the viewer who “makes the picture”.
Jacques Kaufmann’s approach to and understanding of the ceramic phenomenon involves an interrogation of its materials and processes, encompassing forms of hybridity that are as much material and technical as they are cultural, in a constant exploration of the medium’s potential.
The Musée Barbier-Mueller houses a collection that is recognized internationally as a leading centre for the so-called “primitive” – or “distant”– arts.
Ceramics, which comes under the umbrella of contemporary art and its contextual practices, also looks for encounters with whatever produces continuities and disjunctions within human expression, across time and space.
