Entreprise De Seduction - Sharon Kivland

'Throughout 2017 I prepared for an exhibition at the Espace d'art contemporain HEC in Jouy-en-Josas. I spent six weeks in the Musee de la Toile de Jouy in Jouy-en-Josas, as well as time in the Archives nationales, the Musee des Arts decoratifs, the Musee Eugene Delacroix, and the Musee Nissim de Camondo. I worked with friends and new collaborators in the production of works as the project unfolded, took shape. I gave some classes to students at the HEC, which is the most prestigious business school in Europe. For twenty years, the HEC had an art centre, one that the direction of the school decided to close during my exhibition, though the slow, sad, wearing process started earlier, during my first of three residencies there. There was to have been a symposium-it was cancelled at the last minute. Some of those who were to have spoken are included here. There was to have been a book-it was cancelled. I saved up some money and here it is now-it took more time than I thought, of course. The first text is mine, describing the work and its context, followed by a short essay by Thomas Gaugain, who made the object around which the works circulate, an object that he and I first discussed several years before the opportunity to realise it arose. Jean-Marc Huitorel's essay is a more general introduction to my work, while also recounting the introduction he made for me to the Espace d'art contemporain HEC. The four following pieces are written by people who actually saw the exhibition: Elisabeth Lebovici's short text is an almost immediate review/response after the opening on her blog Le Beau vice; Fabienne Bideaud's essay appeared as an extended review in Point Contemporain during the exhibition; Sophie Wahnich's essay was completed in the summer of 2019. Francis Haselden's essay returns to the exhibition four years later to consider two regimes. Johan Hartle's essay explores a common relation between capital and taxidermy. Last, Adrian Rifkin promenades through the streets of Paris.'