ARTnews
Louvre Blocked as Fallout from a Weekend of Unrest Continues to Shake France
At the Sunday night opening of Jenny Holzer’s exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, titled J’ai Vue (I Saw), guests discussed how they had experienced the protests, as well as the timeliness of Holzer’s show, which directly addresses global conflict. (Holzer was unwell and could not attend in person.) Artist Kendalle Getty said that the process of mounting her new exhibition at ITEM IDEM gallery titled L’Identification Avec L’Autre (Identification with the Other), on rue Bleue in the 9th arrondissement, had been a challenge amid weeks of disruptions from ongoing student protests. Now, she also fears that her large-scale works made of mirrors, inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, could be at risk of damage by looters.
Shauna Torres, who installed and organized Getty’s exhibit, said she got stuck in tear gas on Saturday, but is trying to keep a positive outlook. “We’re living in history, and sometimes that smells like fires and tear gas and champagne, but I’m just happy to be here,” she said.
