De l’air, de la lumière et du temps Nur mit Luft, mit Licht und mit Zeit Susanna Fritscher

The reopening of the Musée d’arts de Nantes gives us an opportunity to revive the in situ installations in the atrium that have contributed to the museum’s reputation in the field of contemporary art since the 1990s. Indeed, the artists who have occupied it, from Sarkis to François Morellet, via Anish Kapoor and Krijn de Koning, have always revealed or disrupted a particular sense of this space, which is simultaneously hollow, luminous and altogether central. By creating a dialogue between the forms generated by their imaginations and the place, they have consistently taught us something about what the museum is. The museum wished to entrust this very first exhibition, entitled Air, Light and Time, to the artist Susanna Fritscher. The central piece occupies the whole space and magnifies it. The threads out of which it is made catch the light and create a vibratory, almost liquid environment. Our perception of the place is completely transformed. Walking through this work is a real sensory experience. The visitor can also enjoy multiple views from the small galleries on the first floor, which offer unexpected perspectives. This sensory experience is extended thanks to the sculptures installed at the corners of the walkways, where one can ‘”hear” the air circulating, and also through the crystal Souffles, which materialise it through an impalpable membrane. Motion, sound, vibration, light – the visitor is invited to experience a unique moment of pleasure, contemplation and listening, a sensory journey to the heart of a reawakening museum.