In Toulouse, merchants from Saint-Aubin exhibit works from the Abattoirs museum
Works of contemporary art exhibit in shops. This is the strange initiative of the “Neighborhood Museum” operation which installed paintings and photographs exhibited at the Musée des Abattoirs in fourteen shopkeepers in the Saint-Aubin district of Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The objective is not to confine art to the museum and to allow customers of the shops on rue de la Colombette to take an artistic break during their shopping.
“The idea germinated during the confinement since the museums were closed but the shops open, which inspired me to set up this operation putting art within everyone’s reach, explains Antoine Bères of the Art&Quotidien association, which set up the project in partnership with the Abattoirs, Museum – Frac Occitanie Toulouse and the Association of craftsmen and traders in the Saint-Aubin/Colombette district. It’s interesting to have contemporary art in a store because it raises questions from customers and creates a bond with traders. »
So when you pass the door of the “Saveur et harmonie” tea shop, you can admire, in the middle of the teapots, tea boxes and other utensils, a photograph by Christine Morel representing a lake in black and white bordered by mountains. The choice of the exhibited works was made with the Abattoirs and in consultation with the merchants to find the canvas best suited to each configuration of the volunteer shops. Chloé Allaire, the manager of the tea shop, never tires of admiring the work that has been assigned to her.
“I want to dive, to swim in this lake,” she says. The first few days, I saw a lot of curious people go by because each trade that participates has affixed a poster at the entrance informing about this original exhibition. Some clients don’t take a look at the work, but most of the time it’s positive and encourages discussion with the client. Each boutique provides visitors with a small notebook to write down their impressions and comments. The work is visible in shops until May 28.