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Sans fonds, performance by Carole Louis
16.11.2024 - 15:00
Text, microphone, speakers, 1 cent coins, costume and shoes
The performance Sans fonds was originally created for the opening of Banqueroute, an original proposal by Maxime Moinet and Sophie Delhasse (Art au Centre Liège), in response to Yves Randaxhe’s invitation to take over the exhibition Private Views. The initiative was deliberately designed to interfere with the main exhibition, so Carole Louis slipped into an almost invisible role as the museum’s receptionist. Sitting inside the ticket office, among the other receptionists, Carole Louis utters phrases into the announcement microphone. They were then broadcast throughout the museum via loudspeakers. In this text, the artist mixes and distorts imaginary formulas of language, chosen to evoke the relationships that we form with the economy, that the economy forms with us. In the background, we can guess those of the artists in particular. From time to time, she stands up and scatters 1-cent coins around the museum, provoking a variety of reactions from the audience. The performance questions the role of the economy, hierarchy and value systems in society and in the art world. Receptionist jobs are often devalued but are paid a salary. The title of artist is much more highly valued, although the salary does not necessarily match. In a way, the performance highlights distinctions in cultural capital, in the Bourdieusian sense.>