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mélissa mariller • nuée, 2023

Bourse du travail - Valence
From the 6th of  july to the 3rd of september 2023





Regarding the programmation of the Bourse du Travail, a place dedicated to contemporary art, the city of Valence launches each year a call for projects to produce the summer exhibition.

For this fourth edition, artist prizewinner Melissa Mariller conceived “Nuée” : a major exhibition connected to the theme of 2023 “a breathing of life”. Related to the exhibition “The universe without Man”, introduced at the Valence museum from may to september 2023, this exhibition is a poetic reminder of the living rhythm.

For the Bourse du Travail, Mélissa Mariller conceived a new series of artworks inspired by traditional furniture from Savoye - an italian-influenced artstyle, scorned for a long time, declining with the arrival of industrial revolution.

Stretched out modules with curved and sharp shapes are repeated in the room. Between transparency and substance superposition, high walls break the room and offer different paths to the visitors.

Steel benches use stars and sun patterns coming from this regional furniture. Hence the spectator is invited to sit on these symbols, telling a specific story to each region.

The “bright signatures”, steeled and colourful plexiglass tartan lamps, assembled by a black silicone and the “Forest” suspensions, brushed aluminium ceiling lights - whose shape is drawn by emptiness, directly in its sand mould just before the steel flow - give rhythm to the path of their bright dots.

Finally, on the occasion of “Nuée”, Mélissa Mariller invites Italian artist Enzo Birra to offer an immersive sound installation. The musician made a soundtrack broadcasted on 4 tracks, spreading and talking to each other in the Bourse du Travail. Rebounds between columns, sensation of waterfall and of breathing, the deep sound field seems to solidify the path taken by the visitor.

In a humming of shapes and sounds, “Nuée” offers a vibration within the column space of the Bourse, a rhythm which accompanies the visitor, between repetition and breathing.


Mélissa Mariller and Magalie Meunier would like to thank the company Laniflex, l'ESAD ESAD •Grenoble •Valence, Métal Brûlant, la Friche Lamartine, Fabien Coupas, Armando Andrade Tudela, Maya Rechain, Studio Ganek and Montebello space for their support.



Mélissa Mariller

Born in 1990, Mélissa Mariller lives and works between Marseille and Lyon. Graduated from the National School of Fine Arts of Lyon, her work has been exhibited in La Villette (Paris, 2023), Poush Manifesto (Clichy), the Attrape-couleurs (Lyon) or Kommet (Lyon). Her work is presented by the platform Good Sessions and she will exhibit at Stuttgart in September 2023. She is the co-founder of the association Cagnard and works at Montebello space in Lyon.

Studio Ganek assists the city of Valence in its call for projects for this exhibition whose curator is Magalie Meunier.

Exhibition
From the 6th of July to the 3rd of September 2023
Bourse du travail
Place de la Pierre
26000 Valence


Photos DR + ©Lucas Zambon