Cat People. Des artistes et des chats

Artists: Adel Abdessemed, M’barka Amor, Amber Andrews, Sophia Balagamwala, Sarah Nefissa Belhadjali, Pierre Bellot, Marcel Broodthaers, Nina Childress, Ann Craven, Oli Epp, Gerrit Frohne-Brinkmann, Claire Guetta, Charles Hascoët, Andy Holden, Armand Jalut, Laurent Le Deunff, Louise Luc Kheloui, Rayane Mcirdi, Damir Očko, Alain Séchas, Mayura Torii, Yves Trémorin, Sarah Tritz
Curator: Marc Bembekoff

Deliberately ironic, this exhibition presents a seemingly seductive reflection of our world by showcasing the work of artists inspired by the feline figure. “Cat People”, a title that references Jacques Tourneur’s 1942 film, illustrates the relationship Jacques Derrida describes in terms of what the animal reveals about the human. How do we project ourselves? How do we approach the Other through the domestic image of the cat?

The cat comforts us—hence the rise of cute kitten videos on social media—but it also unsettles us, symbolically reflecting the ailments affecting our crisis-ridden Western societies.

The exhibition “Cat People. Des artistes et des chats” (“Artists and Cats”) explores this complex bond between humans and cats through various thematic lenses, such as anthropomorphism, stray cats, animal ergonomics, kitsch, and more.