Clara Denidet

Les Abattoirs, Musée - Frac Occitanie Toulouse and the Pavillon blanc Henri-Molina are delighted to present the exhibition ‘Reprises de soin’ by Clara Denidet, as part of the ‘Fabrique des solidarités’ programme in Colomiers.

In her exhibition Reprises de soin, artist Clara Denidet looks at the art of repair and the notion of care that this gesture implies. More than just a way of resisting the obsession with innovation and consumerism, these practices are seen as tools in the service of a social and environmental ethic, which deploys a form of ‘magical thinking’ on those who make use of them. In this way, the artist draws attention to what these activities provoke in our relationships to others, to objects, to materials and to spaces; she shows the crack, the flaw, the breach, not as an end in itself, but as the emergence of a new form, a unique outcome made visible by the creative gesture. Micro-sculptures, precious assemblages of materials gleaned from the margins of cities, act as lucky charms. Antique sheets sit alongside worn tea towels whose many snags are meticulously mended. Made visible by the effects of light, these ‘ladies’ items' are the discreet witnesses of sleepless nights.

Clara Denidet in turn creates spaces for encounters and care, inviting the audience to tie and untie knots, weave with eight hands or mend a stranger's garment. The work of the hands becomes a pretext for listening to what is exchanged and revealed in the course of creation. This exhibition is part of the ‘Fabrique des solidarités’ cultural programme at the Pavillon blanc Henri-Molina, running from May to August 2025.

Clara Denidet

Born in 1991 in Cosne sur Loire, Clara Denidet, lives and works in Burgundy. A graduate of HEAR in Strasbourg in 2014, she has since focused on taking an anthropological as well as empirical look at the environment, uses and objects. At the crossroads of technical apprenticeship, theoretical research and plastic experimentation, her practice reflects the individual and collective rituals we (invent for ourselves) to sustain our existence and the misappropriation of everyday objects that this entails. Her works bear witness to the gestures inherent in craftsmanship, passed down from hand to hand or by word of mouth, as well as the intimate stories she gleans from her encounters with people. In 2023, she is embarking on a long-term research project entitled ‘Weaving skills’ on basket-making practices.

This project is supported by Arts en résidence - Réseau national and the endowment fund La Petite Escalère, and has been hosted by three partner organisations: Le Bel Ordinaire (Pau), Maison Salvan (Labège) and voyons voir art contemporain et territoire (Provence-Alpes-Côtes d'Azur). She is a member of the 47-2 collective, which promotes cultural and artistic projects in rural areas. Her work has been shown at CAC Brétigny, FRAC Lorraine (Metz), FRAC Bourgogne (Dijon), Cetate Arts Danube (Romania), Kunststiftung BW (Stuttgart) and CEAAC (Strasbourg).