Strasbourg | ArtRegion: Basel - Oberrhein

CEAAC Centre Européen d’Actions Artistiques Contemporaines

Au Bonheur

1. Oktober 2022 – 26. Februar 2023

The exhibition „Au Bonheur“ at the CEAAC art nouveau building examines the various objects sold there from the turn of the twentieth century to the 1960s, when it was a hardware store. By exploring the ’social life of things‘ (Arjun Appadurai), it reconnects with the past of the building and reframes these commodities in a cultural context. Consequently, the exhibition aims to bring to light the historical significance of the building and its objects.
The objects on display in the show provide a vivid demonstration of the ways in which ideology is etched in both form and production, selection and exhibition. They can be seen to traverse different ‚regimes of value‘ – use, exchange, cultural and surplus value – thus highlighting the power of decoration to signify authority, subversion and freedom. In addition, visitors will have the chance to purchase a selection of utilitarian ceramics, sourced through extensive research at independent potters‘ workshops in Alsace.