DéCOUVERTES 2013

The Festival Croisements that began in March is ongoing with over 200 events, exhibitions and performances in more than 20 cities across China. The PRD is particularly vibrant this year with various performances gracing venues throughout the region, notably F¨ºte de la Musique. With so much Franco flare dazzling delta audiences, it might be easy to overlook more pensive French offerings. But now in its third year, Sino-French art showcase D¨¦couvertes promises to be a highlight of the cultural season with a typically eclectic collection of French, Chinese and international art exhibited in galleries in Shenzhen and Shunde. We caught up with Parisian curators Mathias Daccord and Pierre Picard ahead of the exhibitions to discuss Découvertes past, present and future.

"In 2010 I was contacted by the French Consulate to try and supply them with two festivals; one was about art, one was about cinema," says Daccord, regarding the genesis of the project. Eventually the art project became the preferred option and Daccord, alongside long-standing collaborator Picard and Chinese partner Qiu Qiu, set about developing the project. Intending to seek out promising artists Daccord decided to call the project Découvertes (discoveries). "We try to show emerging artists that are different but have some similarities - there is some point where they can reach each other."

Picard elaborates: "In the first year [2011], with Criss Cusson and Wu Qiang, Découvertes had a theme of 'words.'Wu Qiang has a modern interpretation of calligraphy and Cusson uses a lot of text and silk screening in his work."

The art presented in the second year - which incorporated five artists and was exhibited for the first time in Wuyi gallery in Shunde - operated under an urban theme, though Daccord and Picard's core objectives remained consistent. "We present up-and-coming artists, preferably with a relationship to China," says Picard. "For us these artists are already very mature but they are yet to be discovered here. The idea is to bring them to the front of stage, let them be seen and let them meet one another. "

Daccord espouses the same attitude regarding the importance of a dialogue: "The idea is to create a network between China and France with and for the artists. To create proximity between artists from different countries who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity. The more French artists come to China and vice versa the more art and culture will evolve."

The two curators believe that hosting Découvertes in the young metropolis of Shenzhen and the third-tier industrial hub of Shunde only adds credence to the relevance of the project.

"Shenzhen is a laboratory. It means everything," says Dacorrd. "Beijing and Shanghai are weighed down by tradition. Shenzhen is a cultural crossroads, so the project feels at home here. Nobody is a stranger in Shenzhen because all Shenzheners are strangers."

Picard concurs: "Shenzhen is interesting because it's kind of a cultural hub. And it's where China opened to the world."

The venue is equally important. "When we choose a venue for Découvertes we think a lot about who is going to come," says Daccord. "The point is to make something popular, something that anybody can access. That's why in the first year we held it in a bar in Shenzhen. Because it's somewhere anyone might go. My philosophy is still the same. Art should be accessible to anybody."

This year, Découvertes - hosted by Picard and Qiu Qiu's company Ping Pong - will return to Idutang Gallery in Shenzehn and Deyi Space in Shunde. The exhibition will present some familiar faces alongside emerging talents. Paris-based Criss Cusson will return to China. Shenzhen-based Sichuanese painter Wu Qiang, fresh from a residency in La Rochelle, France will give a live performance alongside Alexis Tolmatchev from Paris. French-Chinese photographer Yves Chan You's work will be on display as will the photographic works of Shenzhen-based observational artist Li Zhengde, who originally hails from Hunan.

And like previous years, which have seen performances from Zhuhai-based DJ Slim Buddha and experimental electro artists Deng Bo Yu, there are likely to be some musical highlights as well. "The point is, at Découvertes is that you don¡¯t know what you are going to discover," notes Daccord.

// Découvertes will begin in Idutang from June 29 and Deyi on June 22 and run for 3 weeks at each venue. Idutang Gallery and Bar, OCT Loft, Enping Lu, Overseas Chinese Town, Shenzhen 深圳华侨城恩平路华侨城创意园一渡堂. Deyi Art Gallery, Shun Feng Shan Park, Nanguo Dong Lu, Daliang, Shunde District, Foshan (0757 2222 2167) 德懿艺术馆, 佛山市顺德区大良南国东路顺峰山公园桂海芳丛园内.

Li Zhengde

Originally from Anhua Township in Hunan Province, photographer Li Zhengde has spent the last seven years in Shenzhen working on his project Xin Guo Ren. "I've wandered through different parties and social events, taken buses to remote places late at night to try to capture the different aspects of Shenzhen in the 21st century."

Wu Qiang

Born in Zigong City Sichuan, Wu Qiang moved to Shenzhen in 1990. He has been developing his unique painting style for over 20 years, combining a traditional mountain-water and calligraphic styles with contemporary postmodern influences, notably the works of Francis Bacon.

Alexis Tolmatchev

Parisian artist Alexis Tolmatchev, who works in various mediums including street art, performance and sculpture says: "Art is the only way to make a certain understanding of the world surrounding us, because whatever we do or whatever we say we are just lost - like being an eternal stranger."

Criss Cusson

Born in Laval, France in 1968, Criss Cusson began painting at a young age. He graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Rennes in 1993 and at the age twenty held his first exhibition, Les Arts au Soleil at Parc et Chateau du Nessay. He says of his work: "I make my collages of unconsciousness pictures by mixing industrial painting and classic oil painting. My aim is to create an ironic criticism about the modern world and what we make and destroy of nature."

Yves Chan You

A French artist with Cantonese origins, Yves Chan You was born in 1972. He has lived in China for the past five years. He photographs urban landscapes in China, especially old suburbs. He works with film and digital mediums to convey his unique vision of a nation rapidly undergoing change.