'La resurrection de Edith Piaf'

in: 'Voilà. Le monde dans la tête' June 14 until October 29th 2000
at: le musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, ARC, tel.:+33-1-53 67 40 00 facs.: +33-1-47 23 35 98
www.paris-france.org/musees
curators: Béatrice Parent, Suzanne Pagé

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Georges Adéagbo is one of sixty international contemporary artists concerned with questions about past,
present and future memory, invited to contribute a work to ‘Voilà. Le monde dans la tête’
With his installation ‘La resurrection de Edith Piaf’ Georges Adéagbo intends to pay homage to an
outstanding personality who has become eternal through the contribution she made to the world through her
suffering and continuos search to express the force of destiny. In this case, the word ‘resurrection’ becomes
a provocative irony in itself, because our memory of the few individuals who fulfilled their mission by
sharing their creation abundantly, will never be erased and any act to ‘revive’ them through ‘magic’ is
redundant. They are and will always be with us. Adéagbo will illustrate, through the example of Edith Piaf,
why some persons deserve to be ‘alive’ forever, while the memory of others, who attempted to claim fame,
fades away.

While visiting various cities in Europe and the US last winter, Georges collected traces of Edith Piaf, rare
records, old and new books, news-clips and CD’s which reflect each country’s respective way of receiving
the ‘visionary voice’. Upon his return to Benin, he gave a selection of images describing the turning points
of Edith Piaf’s life to local artisans in Benin. Nine paintings and one sculpture will serve as illustrations,
along with the items collected so far, to map out the forces which governed an exemplary existence. Almost
a dozen of texts painted by sign makers on glass panes will guide through the installation. Arriving a week
before the opening of the exhibition in Paris, Georges completed his composition with elements found and
bought in Paris.

Georges Adéagbo’s installations are not only site specific, but also specifically dedicated to what happened
and shall happen in a location, to the energy and spirit which govern the development and behavior of a
community. Often Georges’ installations crystallize around personalities, who as a pioneers and martyrs for
their mission represent an era, the constellation of place, time and spirit, as historical phenomena trace
turning points of humanity. In his studio in Benin, he frequently works on installations about Abraham
Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Patrice Lumumba and Mahatma Gandhi. Georges uses the homage to one
particular individual, Edith Piaf, also as a vehicle to raise questions about what triggered WW II and other
turning points of last century’s history.

One mission often requires several individuals to be completed. By including traces of other popular singers,
such as Dalida, Mireille Mathieu, Les compagnons de la chanson and Charles Aznavour, Georges links them
as one team of baton touch runners contributing to the same mission, which can span generations, if not
centuries.

The curatorial and logistic staff of the musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris carefully prepared the
optimum conditions for the authentic realization of this not repeatable, unique installation work.
jointadventures assists the artist and museum with the production, preparation of the catalogue material and
general synchronization of working and communication rhythms. Rather than a bulky catalogue, a casual
magazine type publication named ‘Inrockuptibles’ will accompany this group show.