The Pompidou Center’s outpost at Metz, France, canceled an investigation into a program of Caribbean and Guyana art in June, leading to a series of artists’ statements denouncing the decision to conduct the performance.
The exhibition will be organized by Guadeloupean curator Claire Tancons, who has previously worked on versions of Sharjah Biennial and Prospect New Orleans.
Her name is “van Lévé” (the Creole version of the French word “le vent selève” meaning “wind rise”). It is scheduled to open in October 2026 and includes notable artists such as last year’s Marcel Duchamp Prix Marcel Duchamp winner Gaëlle Choisne and Pol Taburet, the subject of a solo exhibition currently held in Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin.
according to LemondA tense email exchange between Mrs. Tancoton and Chiara Parisi, director of Center Pompidou-Metz, ended with the cancellation of the show in June. “This cancellation is due to a particularly difficult budget context that forces us to reorganize the exhibitions and events originally planned in our plans in a drastic way,” Barisi wrote in an email to Tanko. Lemond.
Tanko’s granddaughter tells Lemond Paris’s claims on budget restrictions are “incredible” and said the exhibition has received funding from organizations such as the Ford Foundation, which contributed $500,000.
The cancellation of the show has raised questions in France, with some artists and curators asking whether the form of bias plays a role in the museum’s decisions.
Lemond A series of statements by artists and curators appeared to condemn the cancellation of the exhibition. “The female curator in Guadeloupe is always overly ambitious, even with a good international reputation, she provides nearly half the budget for the exhibition she designed in sponsorship,” the statement said. “We also proved to share her ambitions and provide her with unwavering support.”
Its signatories include Zineb Sedira and Tabita Rézaire representing France at the 2022 Venice Biennale, whose work will appear in “Van Lévé”.
The cancellation was due to the transfer of most of its programming from the Paris base, which will soon be closed for five years when the museum undergoes a massive renovation.
