At The French Library Get Directions
About this Exhibition
The true art of memory is the art of attention.–Samuel Johnson
Is the internet eating our memory or is it lightening our mental load? And what is the difference between memory and digitized memory data? In a post-analog age, where social media platforms are becoming our cultural archives, who "owns" our memories?
In Search of Lost Memory is a group exhibition probing the effects of our growing dependence on digital technology on our memory. For this multi-media installation, curator Arlinda Shtuni invited artists on both sides of the Atlantic to contribute original or existing works on what has emerged as a germane topic in contemporary art, literature as well as in neuroscience research. Both Julien Prévieux's Duchamp Prize-winning "What Shall We Do Next? (Sequence #2)" and Andrew Fish's new works register the bodily responses to our increasingly digitally-mediated and disembodied experiences. While A. R. Hopwood's "False Memory Archive" and Wilhelm Neusser's pre-digital "Dropbox" remind us of the ever slippery nature of memory and the fragile and mysterious process of storing and reclaiming it.
We are gathering responses to a Memory Questionnaire during August and September. This interactive tool will create a collective diary for an exchange of ideas and observations on the state of our personal and social memory.
Fill out the Memory Questionnaire
About the Memory Salon
Also, join us in the ballroom at 7:15 PM for a Memory Salon, a transdisciplinary conversation, with readings of new work by writer Daphne Kalotay, and poets Dan Chelotti and Guy Pettit.Above: Andrew Fish, Echo, 2016. Oil on linen; 47" x 48". Courtesy of the artist.
Gallery Hours
Monday, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PMTuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday and Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed on September 5th.
Sponsors
Call for Artists
Our art exhibition program showcases local and international artists whose work has a connection with French and Francophone culture.
Whether you draw your inspiration from an artistic movement, a specific artist, a subject or a technique, you can submit your work for an opportunity to present your art to the public in our elegant brownstone's gallery in the heart of Back Bay, for month-long exhibitions from September through June.
Artists and projects are selected by a committee of art professionals, artists and art connoisseurs who meet twice a year. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
To submit your work please refer to the Call for Artists in which you will find a detailed description of requirements and conditions.
Upcoming Events
Arthur Rimbaud from A to Z with French specialist Alain Borer, featuring artworks by Oana Lauric
Conference and Art exhibition
The French Library is honored to welcome French Rimbaud’s specialist Alain Borer for a poetic night dedicated to one of the most well-known and talented French poet, Arthur Rimbaud.
Read More
Master class on Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne and Auguste Renoir: four sessions and one Museum of Fine Arts visit to better understand the French impressionists.
Read More
The French Library is pleased to welcome award-winning French violinist and author Marina Chiche. Marina will tell us more about her work on making classical music accessible to the widest audience possible and highlighting exceptional women performers forgotten by history because of their gender.
Read More