Clément Cogitore

Blandine Soulage

Venue

Guimet Museum

Lyon

Born 1983 in Colmar, France.
Lives and works in Paris, France, and Berlin, Germany.

In his work, which sits halfway between film and the visual arts, Clément Cogitore tirelessly explores the durability of rites and the mutual permeability of archaic and contemporary worlds. In Morgestraich, he pays tribute to the Basel Carnival, an event that has been held for over a century, but which has been cancelled in 2021 and 2022 due to the global pandemic. At 4 a.m., the city lights are switched off and groups of musicians parade through the streets to the sound of pipes and drums. Against a dark backdrop, the elaborately dressed carnival participants, with small lanterns on their heads, walk forever towards an invisible crowd. Cogitore’s artwork – featuring this lugubrious yet festive procession – marking the passage from winter to spring, from night to day, and from death to life – immerses spectators in an event he has rendered timeless.