Jean-Marc Hunt’s “Negatalent” – Repeating Islands

Fondation Clément [Clément Foundation] presents a solo exhibition by Jean-Marc Hunt “Negatalent.” The Foundation expressed, “With this exhibition, Fondation Clément is focusing on highlighting twenty years of artistic work by this contemporary Franco-Caribbean artist who is now of international stature.” The exhibition opens on June 28, 2024, and will remain on view through August 18, 2024. The corresponding catalog will be available at Fondation Clément.

The Foundation will host a series of events related to “Negatalent” such as a guided tour with the curator Mary-Lou Ngwe-Secke on June 30, at 10:00am; a film screening on July 20, at 7:00pm; and a guided tour with the artist on August 11, at noon.

Description: The solo exhibition NEGATALENT highlights the necessary precursory nature and the role of the artist in the development of recognized contemporary work.

Inscribing an artistic creation from the French Antilles requires a clear vision, which the artist forges with investment and determination in a long and constructive process.

By questioning the journey of the “Negatalent,” he here contextualizes Creole culture and history in its field of elevation to the world, which the historian Pascal Blanchard aptly describes:

[. . .] Speaking of the “work” of Jean-Marc Hunt is, for a historian like me, a specialist in the colonial question, like speaking of a “colleague.” He draws on the past, in stories, in the dialogues of time, to bring out a knowledge and a history. He takes the facts in a raw way, questions them, torments them and puts them in color and image. He seeks the invisible and the visible. He speaks to the dead and the living. [. . .]

This major exhibition displays a new production of around sixty original works throughout the building dedicated to contemporary art, covering the recurring themes of his work: “Jardin créole » [Creole Garden], “Récits cosmogoniques” [Cosmogonic Stories], and the “Negropolitan Museum.”

JEAN-MARC HUNT is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Guadeloupe. Born in [mainland] France in 1975, Jean-Marc Hunt grew up in the suburbs of Strasbourg. In 2003, he moved to Guadeloupe, where he is from, to tackle neo-expressive creation. His work reveals a turbulent, often ironic art, with a relevant reflection on the disturbances of alienation specific to the history of the Caribbean. Working in drawing and painting as well as sculpture and installation, he proceeds by series, accumulation, and diversion as inseparable components. Regularly invited to Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean, he also carries out art residencies which will allow him to approach monumental creation. His penchant for experimentation has led him to design unifying visual arts events since 2005 as a scenographer and curator, which, in 2015, earned him the decoration of Knight of Arts and Letters, by the Ministry of Culture and Communication of the French Republic. In 2019, he participated in the 59th Venice Biennale with the collateral project of the European Cultural Center Italy, Personal Structures Identities at Palazzo Mora, a group exhibition curated by Marci Gaymu. In 2021, 193 Gallery presented his first solo show in Paris, entitled Ti’Punch Molotov. His work is included in several public and private collections, notably the Clément Foundation in Martinique.

Translated by Ivette Romero. For original information and examples of artwork, see https://www.fondation-clement.org/expositions/jean-marc-hunt-negatalent/

[Shown above : JEAN-MARC HUNT’s SÉRIE NEGROPOLITAN MUSEUM BOULADJEL, 2024170X120 CM, Acrylic on Canvas.]