“A readymade artist?” you might wonder, scratching your head. “What on earth is that?”. That’s the mystery and intrigue of Claire Fontaine, a conceptual art entity right here in the heart of Paris. Now, I say “entity” because Claire Fontaine is not a person in the traditional sense. It’s a feminist art collective founded in 2004 by the Italian-British duo Fulvia Carnevale and James Thornhill. They call themselves Claire Fontaine’s assistants, and she dictates the art.
Place Claire Fontaine itself isn’t marked by striking sculptures or grand installations. This collective, borrowing its name from a popular brand of French notebooks, is all about concepts and ideas. Imagine walking into a gallery and seeing a neon sign that only lights up when there’s no movement, a commentary on labor strikes and stillness. Or finding a set of keys, meticulously crafted to grant access to a famous New York gallery, a playful jab at art world elitism. That’s Claire Fontaine’s style.
Their work, often resembling existing art, aims to critique the overproduction of art objects in a capitalist system. It might leave you pondering the nature of art itself, prompting more questions than answers. And that, my friends, is precisely the point. Claire Fontaine wants to spark conversation, to challenge our preconceived notions, and to make us think critically about the world around us. And they do it all under a name we recognize from our school days, reminding us that art can be found in the most unexpected places, even in a simple notebook.