Free

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 PM
Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday and Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed on September 5th.

Sponsors

This program is made possible thanks in part to the Consulate General of France in Boston and the Mosaïque Cultural Fund. LOGO OFFICIEL DU CONSULAT MosaiqueCharter1Web_Logo Rose-Noir ss Fund

Call for Artists

CallforArtists-Image

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

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 6:30 PM To 8:30 PM

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.

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Conference

The impressionist revolutions

In person Master Class: French Culture and History

From Apr 4, 2023 To Apr 25, 2023 6:30 PM To 7:30 PM

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.

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Lecture

Musiciennes de légende by Marina Chiche

Author talk and book signing

Friday, April 7, 2023 6:30 PM To 8:00 PM

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.

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