Shell collection needed for an art exhibition in Alsace, France

[jofid]

I am a curator currently organizing an exhibition of contemporary art this fall at the Centre Rhénan d'art contemporain (CRAC) Alsace in Altkirch, France (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cracalsace.com">http://www.cracalsace.com</a><!-- m -->). I am hoping to find someone who might be willing to show his or her collection, or part of it, in the context of this exhibition — not as an artwork, but rather as an example of a parallel practice to the work of the artists in Coquilles mécaniques. The exhibition, Coquilles mécaniques, takes as one of its point of departure Paul Valéry's essay on seashells. Like shells, the artworks in this show are generated through methodical means, not unlike a mollusk patiently secreting its shell particle by particle, but the resulting works are as complex, as sensually and imaginatively immoderate, as resistant to the basic mechanisms of human understanding, as the shells that inspire Valéry's meditation. 

The relevance of shells to this exhibition, however, goes beyond the objects to the act of collecting itself, and the individuals who engage in it. In recognition of that, I would really like to show a personal collection -- one with its own logic, identity or personality. I'd also be eager to work with someone to determine how best to showcase the collection.

I recognize that your collections are precious and fragile, and would of course ensure proper transport and display of the work. The exhibition begins opens on October 7 and runs until January 13.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the project. You can reach me at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jfiduccia@yahoo.com">jfiduccia@yahoo.com</a><!-- e -->.

Kind regards,

Joanna