In a city with an abundance of museums and galleries, Paris’ Bourse de Commerce stands out above the crowd. Originally built as a corn exchange in the mid-18th century, the building has lived multiple lives in the nearly 300 years since — from serving as a stock exchange a century later, to being reconverted into an art museum in 2021 with the help of Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who reconverted the space.
Central to the institution’s programming is the massive rotunda in the middle of the museum, built with perforated concrete walls to adorn the building’s classical interior, elegant fresco and towering circular glass ceiling. The Bourse de Commerce has recently played host to a number of compelling exhibitions, from Urs Fischer and Danh Vo to Wolfgang Tillmans and the latest with South Korean artist Kimsooja.
Transcending the confines of one particular medium, Kimsooja blurs the boundaries between the human body and awareness through video, photo and performative installations. Describing herself as a “cosmopolitan anarchist”, her latest installation, To Breathe – Constellation, is decidedly simple: laid across the rotunda are mirrored panels reflecting the ethereal ceiling above, creating a feeling of levitation for visitors.
“By using it,” commented Kimsooja, “our gaze acts like a sewing thread that moves to and fro, entering into the depths of our self and of the other, reconnecting us to their reality and inner world. A mirror is a fabric woven by own gauze in an ebbing and flowing motion”.
Also on view in the lower level is a performance video by Kimsooja entitled A Needle Woman (1999-2000). The film depicts the artist in four corners of the world (Shanghai, Delhi, Tokyo, and New York), using her body as a mirror that reflects both a world in constant flux, and her concurrent interactions with herself and others. To Breathe – Constellation will be on view in Paris until September 2, 2024.
Bourse de Commerce
– Pinault Collection
2 Rue de Viarmes,
75001 Paris, France
