Pernod Ricard is continuing its support for creativity with a new artistic mentoring programme designed to promote dialogue between artists from different cultures and generations in collaboration with the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles.
Each year, an artistic committee will select a leading figure from the world of contemporary photography. That mentor will then choose an artist, who may work in a discipline other than photography, with the aim of developing an international project together. The duo will have a creativity grant, a production budget, artistic direction, as well as tailored support for a whole year.
This dialogue, beneficial to both mentor and mentee, has led to a multidisciplinary exhibition presented as part of the line-up of the 53rd Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles, at the Commanderie Sainte-Luce, from 4 July to 25 September 2022.
Two artists, a common territory. Two visions, one exhibition. Sandra Rocha (mentor), who explores the image in all its dimensions (photography, collages, video), and Perrine Géliot (mentee), who designs three-dimensional photographic objects, form the first duo of Pernod Ricard’s arts mentorship programme. This multidisciplinary pair travelled to Chiapas, Mexico, where they drew parallels between the history of the Mayan people and the contemporary Anthropocene era. The two artists embarked on a journey to the heart of a rich heritage, now overgrown by lush vegetation. As the aquatic element is central to their respective practices, they decided to focus their exploration around the city of Palenque and its magnificent waterfalls. Both a point of arrival and a new beginning, these waterfalls represent a continuous flow of energy, and strongly embody the idea of perpetual motion put forward by Heraclitus. It is in this harmonious and ritualized setting where humans, animals, plants, and minerals coexist that Sandra Rocha and Perrine Géliot construct a poetic narrative that does away with the course of time. Their immersive exhibition on display at the Commanderie Sainte-Luce, in Arles, will bring together photography, video, sound, and sculpture, offering viewers a visual, organic, and philosophical experience.