Anne and Patrick Poirier. Apoptosi

Anne and Patrick Poirier (Marseilles, 1941; Nantes, 1942) studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and after several trips to the East, Middle East and the United States, they won the Grand Prix de Rome and stayed at the French Academy of Villa Medici, Rome, from 1968 to 1972. Multidisciplinary artists, they blend their ideas together, placing time at the center of their work, reflection on violence in history, the fragility of human cultures and the related forms of transmission. Memory is recognized as a fundamental element for the protection of the individual and is often contrasted with contempt, violence and intolerance, realities that originate in the destruction of memory itself. The works of the 70s related to contemporary or imaginary archaeological sites are followed by monumental works in marble, bronze and steel; the large photographs and complex installations of the 90s still underline the theme of the ephemeral, of fragility, and of the importance of remembering. The artistic investigation becomes a true approach to the human sciences and history, and leads them to work all over the world. In fact, they exhibit in prestigious venues, in Italy and abroad; remember CAPC, Bordeaux; Art Institute of Chicago; Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles; Georges Pompidou Center, Paris; Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin; Luigi Pecci Center for Contemporary Art, Prato; The Brooklyn Museum, New York; Musée de l'Élysée, Lausanne; MACRO, Rome; MoMA PS1, New York; MAMC, Saint Etienne; Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden, Wuppertal; The Parkview Museum, Singapore; Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire. They participate in various international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, 1976, 1980, 1984; Documenta, Kassel, 1977; Istanbul Biennial, 1987; Lyon Biennial, 2000; Busan Biennial, 2002; Valencia Biennial, 2003, La Havana Biennial, 2006, and at Manifesta 12, Palermo, 2018. Recent exhibitions include those at: Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, 2022; Musée de La Roche-sur-Yon, 2022; MRAC-Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie, Sérignan, 2021; Abbaye du Thoronet, 2021; French Academy - Villa Medici, Rome, 2019; De Pont Museum, Tilburg, 2018; Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, 2017.