Dioramas, The Palais de Tokyo, Paris, June 14 2017-September 10 2017

摘要

Diorama, a constructed scene contained within a three-dimensional frame, has an intriguing history and enduring influence. This is extensively conveyed by the exhibition Dioramas, presented by the Parisian contemporary art center Palais de Tokyo in the summer of 2017. The exhibition traces the development of the diorama over time and explores the reincarnations through which it appears in recent art practice. While a contemporary perspective may regard the diorama as a minor art form - a peripherally relevant format for conveying illusion-istic effects and make-believe environments - the exhibition reasserts its centrality in the evolution of visual culture as we know it today. The selection of works in the exhibition spans a range of eras, media, scales, and intentions, the inclusive-ness of which links the diorama to multiple fields of knowledge and a variety of creative practices. Curators Claire Garnier, Laurent Le Bon, and Florence Ostende made a number of such links explicit and there are others that can be made as well. For example, as not only a visual device but also a spatial one, the diorama is profoundly interior in its nature; viewing the exhibition's subject matter through the lens of interiority is particularly pertinent, especially for the benefit of disciplines responsible for shaping interior spaces.