Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA
Committed to its primary mission of building up a collection of contemporary art, the Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA has, over the last 40 years, assembled a living heritage representative of the most varied forms and expressions of contemporary art (painting, sculpture, (painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation) and now houses over 1,600 works. Every year, thanks to the help of dozens of partners 50% of these works of art are circulated in various locations (media libraries, schools, heritage monuments, etc.), both urban and rural. The Frac is located at the MÉCA in Bordeaux, in new premises 4,600 m2 of exhibition space, exhibition rooms, storerooms, workshops and rooms for experimenting with artists, professionals and the general public.
The Frac’s priorities are to work as closely as possible with artists and their work (through acquisitions, residencies and production grants) and for the general public, targeting schools and higher education establishments and higher education establishments, in the social field and for audiences far removed from art and culture, through in innovative ways: workshops, meetings, a digital platform for digital platform for creating virtual exhibitions and web-documentaries, but also editions to last beyond the news.
The Frac MÉCA collection includes more than 1,600 works in all media by French and international artists. The collection was built up in 1983 around a remarkable group of photographs that ‘re-enacted’ the history of twentieth-century photography (Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Raymond Depardon, Walker Evans, etc.). In 1986, it opened up to international art (John Armleder, Katharina Fritsch, Cindy Sherman, Roman Opalka, Jeff Wall, Tatiana Trouvé, Jeff Koons, etc.) and was enriched by works with a strong social and political dimension (Allora & Calzadilla, Thomas Hirschhorn, etc.). From 2007 onwards, new impulses was given to the collection. More space was given to emerging artists from the French scene (Florence Doléac, Bertrand Dezoteux, Chantal Raguet, Bertille Bak, Raphaël Zarka, etc.). Finally, one of the new directions stemmed from a growing awareness of the absence of artists from Africa, despite the fact that the former Aquitaine region, and Bordeaux in particular, share a long history with the neighbouring continent. Omar Victor Diop, Amadou Sanogo, Sory Sanlé and Zanele Muholi have all recently joined the collection.
Multiplying worlds
‘The Frac MÉCA is a living institution, a driving force behind artistic experimentation and hospitality for all audiences, adapted to the conservation and development of a collection in movement, an institution that is both a resource for artists and art professionals and a guarantor of territorial equity in the Region, capable of giving access to creation to a wide audience in the urban and rural areas that are the furthest from culture.
At once a place to live, a place of discovery, a place of action, a place of dissemination, a place of research and creation, a place of resources, a place of sensitivities and attentions, the Frac MÉCA is envisaged as an institution that manifests itself through artistic permanence in its vast regional territory, and reciprocally, as an institution where the multitude of worlds and territories explored by artists are intertwined’.
Elfi Turpin, Director
On-site exhibition
« Primavera, Primavera »
5 parvis corto maltese
05.25.25
Les nouveaux printemps d’une génération
Exposition du 16 novembre 2024 au 25 mai 2025
«Primavera, Primavera» propose un regard prospectif sur les créations d’une sélection d’artistes qui portent les interrogations, les doutes et les luttes des jeunes générations.
À l’heure où la crise climatique et ses conséquences imprègnent nos pensées, nos manières d’habiter, de consommer et de faire, quelles conduites et alternatives engager pour faire face à ce monde changeant ? Devant les complexités de vie grandissantes et dans une société où les logiques de mondialisation dominent, la nouvelle génération reste pleinement consciente des défis à relever.
Les oeuvres de la collection du Frac constituent le coeur de l’exposition, auxquelles s’ajoutent des invitations spécifiques qui interagissent avec celles-ci. Les créations présentées n’apportent pas de réponses préconçues face à un état du monde mais traduisent plutôt les inquiétudes, les revendications ou encore les aspirations d’un ensemble d’artistes.
«Primavera, Primavera» inaugure un cycle d’expositions en 2025 en Nouvelle-Aquitaine dédié à la jeunesse, à partir des oeuvres de la collection du Frac.
Comité technique d'achat
Elfi Turpin
Caroline Hancock
Frédéric Legros
Aurélien Mole
Christine Barthe
Administration
Elfi Turpin
Contact
MÉCA
5, Parvis Corto Maltese
33 800 Bordeaux, France
contact@frac-meca.fr
T. +33 (0)5 56 24 71 36