5 Windows on La Manufacture

Laurent Goei

5 Windows on La Manufacture
(Tributes to Zézette, Patti, George, Virginia and Goliarda – five remarkable women.)

For me, there is no more compelling image than the window when it comes to expressing the philosophical relationship between inside and outside, between interior and exterior space. Whenever we visit a home, we instinctively head towards the windows: they bring in light, frame our view of the world, suggest the possibility of escape, the longing for freedom, the desire to “get some fresh air.” All of this stands in contrast to the sense of comfort, shelter and belonging that we seek indoors.

The window has long been a recurring motif in my work, both in sculpture and painting. I see it as an inherently romantic object. In 2004, when I was forced to leave my home before it was demolished by bulldozers, I took with me every window from the apartment where so much of my life had unfolded. The physical loss of that place coincided with the end of a love story. The words born of that separation were written onto the shattered panes of those windows, silent witnesses to that shared history.

In keeping with the spirit of Arte Povera, the windows in this installation open onto artistic perspectives. The quotations, selected by Agathe Jeanneau, resonate with one another, weaving together the voices of women artists from different eras and cultures. They speak of the struggle to find one’s place in a world shaped by society, of doubt, the search for freedom, and the desire to connect with others.

In the end, it is all about the gaze.

The way artists look at the world.
The way we look at their work.
And our ability to open windows onto forms of sensitivity that might otherwise remain beyond our reach.