Istanbul
Elsa Sahal is standing right in front of the fontaine, her fontaine, an oceaonographic mountain on which stands an anthropomorphic arch, deseroticised entre-jambe from which springs water, as sharp as a jet of urine.
It is not a provocation, it is a humorous response to centuries of heteronormative and phallocentric representations.
In front of the fontaine, one of her earlier works, Abstract Composition, seems like an amorphous and soft pile. The keys of understanding of this sculpture lay in the disposition of the mat glazes. They answer to each other after two decades. « Soft is the New Strong » could have been « Soft is the new hard ». It is the title of her exhibition.
I am staring at this totemic sculpture, a ceramic as black as cold lava stone, Elsa Sahalâs Venus rises, majestic, and makes me think of Louise Bourgeoisâ piles of breasts, of the Capitolian wolf and of Pierre Molinierâs star shapped breasts drawings.
Suela Cennet, 2019
Istanbul.
Elsa Sahal se tient debout, face a la fontaine, sa fontaine, une montagne oceanographique sur laquelle est perchee une voute anthropomorphique, entrejambe fĂ©minin dĂ©sĂ©rotisĂ© duquel jailli un jet dâeau tel un jet dâurine net et tranchant.
Ce nâest pas une provocation mais un trait dâhumour Ă des siecles de reprĂ©sentation hĂ©tĂ©ronormĂ©e et phallocentrique.
Face Ă la fontaine, une des ses premieres sculptures, Composition abstraite semble laisser voir un tas amorphe et mou. La disposition des Ă©maux mats porte en elle la clĂ© de lecture de cette oeuvre. Elles se rĂ©pondent Ă deux dĂ©cennies dâintervalle. Soft is the New Strong. On aurait presque pu dire Soft is the New Hard. Câest le titre de son exposition.
Je regarde cette sculpture totĂšmique, une cĂ©ramique noire comme de la lave refroidie, la Venus dâElsa Sahal se dresse majestueuse et me fait penser aux empilement de seins de Louise Bourgeois, la louve Capitoline mais aussi aux dessins de seins en etoiles de Pierre Molinier.
Suela Cennet, 2019
Traduit de l’anglais par Elsa Maggion
Elsa Sahal (1975, FR) lives and works in Paris. She graduated from Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2000 and completed a residency at SĂšvres in 2007. In 2008, the Fondation Pernod-Picard dedicated a solo exhibition to her and she was awarded the MAIF prize for sculpture. She was welcomed as a visiting professor at Alfred University, New York State College of Ceramic in 2019. She also taught at Ăcole des Arts DĂ©coratifs de Strasbourg from 2005 to 2012.
In 2013, she completed a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation (Montana) and her work was shown in Body & Soul: New International Ceramics at the Museum of Art and Design in New York. Her work is regularly featured in major group exhibitions, such as Ceramix at the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht (2015) and Maison Rouge in Paris (2016); Women House at the Monnaie de Paris and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington (2017-2018); Picasso, baigneuses et baigneurs at the MusĂ©e des Beaux-Arts in Lyon (2020); Les flammes. The Age of Ceramics, Museum of Modern Art, Paris (2021). The Galerie Papillon (Paris) presents her 7th solo exhibition in the fall of 2021 while she had her 1st solo show at The Pill (Istanbul) in 2017 and at Nathalie Karg Gallery (New York) in 2019, galleries that represent her from then on in Turkey and the United States. Her works are part of several public collections including those of the Centre national des arts plastiques, the Fonds d’art contemporain - Paris Collections and the Frac Normandie. Her work is also supported by several renowned collectors.
Elsa Sahal (1975, FR) vit et travaille aÌ Paris. DiplĂŽmeÌe des Beaux-Arts de Paris en 2000, elle effectue une reÌsidence aÌ SeÌvres en 2007. En 2008, la Fondation Pernod-Ricard lui consacre une exposition personnelle et elle obtient le prix MAIF pour la sculpture. Elle est accueillie comme professeur inviteÌe aÌ la Alfred University, New York State College of Ceramic en 2019. Elle a par ailleurs enseigneÌ aÌ l’EÌcole des Arts DeÌcoratifs de Strasbourg de 2005 aÌ 2012.
En 2013, elle fait une reÌsidence aÌ la Archie Bray Foundation (Montana) et ses Ćuvres sont montreÌes lors de Body & Soul : New International Ceramics au Museum of Art and Design de New York. Son travail est rĂ©guliĂšrement prĂ©sentĂ© dans des expositions collectives d’envergure, telles Ceramix au Bonnefantenmuseum aÌ Maastricht (2015) et aÌ la maison rouge aÌ Paris (2016) ; Women House aÌ la Monnaie de Paris et au National Museum of Women in the Arts aÌ Washington (2017-2018) ; Picasso, baigneuses et baigneurs au museÌe des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (2020) ; Les flammes. LâaÌge de la ceÌramique, MuseÌe dâart moderne de Paris (2021). La Galerie Papillon (Paris) lui consacre sa 7Ăšme exposition personnelle Ă l’automne 2021 tandis qu’elle rĂ©alise son 1er solo show aÌ The Pill (Istanbul) en 2017 et Ă Nathalie Karg Gallery (New York) en 2019, galeries qui la reprĂ©sentent dĂšs lors en Turquie et aux Ătats-Unis. Ses Ćuvres font partie de plusieurs collections publiques dont celles du Centre national des arts plastiques, du Fonds d’art contemporain â Paris Collections ou encore du Frac Normandie. Son travail est Ă©galement soutenu par plusieurs collectionneurs de renom.
After studiying philosophy, Suela Cennet specializes in political sciences and public policy making at Sciences Po Paris where she completes a double masters degree in International Relations as well as an MPA. Multilingual and very active internationally at a young age, she is appointed co-curator on the occasion of Istanbul, cultural Capital of the EU in 2010. Shortly after, she took the lead of operations at Galerie Templon where she contributed to the debute of artists such as Juliao Sarmento, Kehinde Wiley, Jitish Kallat.
In 2013, she decides to move her operations to Istanbul and creates a gallery with her own rooster of artists among which a strong family of French artists such as Marion Verboom and Eva Nielsen. Located in an ancient generator factory, The PillÂź is an international contemporary art gallery based in the historical peninsula of Istanbul by the Golden Horn. Founded in 2015 and launched in January 2016, the gallery operates as a global platform that brings together local and international artists. Initially imagined as a mobile naval project space, It aims to create a fertile environment for multi-disciplinary contemporary art, to increase the emerging sceneâs visibility and enable a relevant dialog within the local context by multiplying collaborations with other institutions in the region, and inviting international artists to think their practice or experiment in a new territory. Since its opening, the gallery has achieved to establish itself as one of the most influential players in the region by multiplying museum acquisitions, enabling its artists to participate in Biennales.
The gallery’s artists have been shortlisted for coveted art prizes and The PillÂź is part of the 2017-2018 selection committee as well as the jury for Emerige Mecenat and their Emerige Prize for Emerging Contemporary Art as the international partner, a new feature in the prize’sorganisation.
AprĂšs des Ă©tudes de philosophie, Suela Cennet se spĂ©cialise en sciences politiques et en politiques publiques Ă Sciences Po Paris oĂč elle obtient un double master en relations internationales ainsi qu’un MPA. Multilingue et trĂšs active trĂšs tĂŽt Ă l’international, elle est nommĂ©e co-curatrice Ă l’occasion d’Istanbul, capitale culturelle de l’Union EuropĂ©enne en 2010. Peu aprĂšs, elle prend la direction des opĂ©rations de la galerie Templon oĂč elle contribue aux dĂ©buts d’artistes tels que Juliao Sarmento, Kehinde Wiley, Jitish Kallat.
En 2013, elle dĂ©cide de dĂ©mĂ©nager ses opĂ©rations Ă Istanbul et crĂ©e une galerie avec son propre pool d’artistes parmi lesquels une forte famille d’artistes françaises tels que Marion Verboom et Eva Nielsen . SituĂ©e dans une ancienne usine de gĂ©nĂ©rateurs, The Pill Âź est une galerie d’art contemporain internationale basĂ©e dans la pĂ©ninsule historique d’Istanbul au bord de la Corne d’Or. FondĂ©e en 2015 et lancĂ©e en janvier 2016, la galerie fonctionne comme une plateforme globale qui rassemble des artistes locaux et internationaux. Initialement imaginĂ©e comme un espace de projet naval mobile, Elle vise Ă crĂ©er un environnement fertile pour l’art contemporain pluridisciplinaire, Ă accroĂźtre la visibilitĂ© de la scĂšne Ă©mergente et Ă permettre un dialogue pertinent dans le contexte local en multipliant les collaborations avec d’autres institutions de la rĂ©gion, et en invitant des artistes internationaux Ă penser leur pratique ou Ă expĂ©rimenter sur un nouveau territoire. Depuis son ouverture, la galerie a rĂ©ussi Ă s’imposer comme l’un des acteurs les plus influents de la rĂ©gion en multipliant les acquisitions musĂ©ales, en permettant Ă ses artistes de participer Ă des Biennales.
Les artistes de la galerie ont Ă©tĂ© prĂ©sĂ©lectionnĂ©s pour des prix d’art convoitĂ©s et The Pill Âź fait partie du comitĂ© de sĂ©lection 2017-2018 ainsi que du jury d’ Emerige mĂ©cĂ©nat et du Prix Emerige pour l’art contemporain Ă©mergent en tant que partenaire international, une nouveautĂ© dans l’organisation du prix.
Several things get in the way of this embodied textual pursuit: the variable hospitality of translation; narrativeâs inflationary bent; powerâs hostile takeovers of language; hegemonyâs ventriloquy as common sense; the rebellious release of stutter and somatic symptomsâ; and pleasurably unruly slips of the tongue.”