Fanny Gicquel: "Meal Yourself"

Meal yourself is the title of this project, an invitation to reflect on the relationship between food, sharing and identity. “Meal Yourself” can be understood in several ways: ‘cooking yourself’ evokes an inner process of personal development or well-being, where we simmer ideas and feelings, letting them mature, just as we prepare a dish with care. It also suggests the idea of nourishing oneself autonomously, with the help of one’s own ecosystem or through personal agriculture. On the other hand, “to eat oneself” brings an ironic or strange nuance, referring to the idea of surpassing or self-destructing by crossing one’s own limits.

This project is inspired by the many aspects of A26, a space of hospitality where people come to eat, meet friends, have a drink, see art or listen to music. The sculptures I propose create spaces for encounters, fostering human and social relationships through listening, caring and vulnerability.

As I find myself at a moment of transition in my identity and my artistic practice, this exhibition represents a milestone. It is the first to fully embody the values I now wish to defend: sculpture in relation to everyone’s body, open to the viewer and no longer just reserved for the performer. Sculptures that foster social ties through concepts of relational dynamics, sharing, attention, listening and care.the works proposed are carried by several verbs: to eat, to rest, to share, to drink, to slow down, to pour, to see, to warm up, to feel, to look, to gather, to observe and to smell. These verbs highlight the involvement of various sensory and somatic aspects in the experience of the works.

The vernissage will be a key moment in the exhibition, providing an opportunity to share the works created during the workshop, to celebrate the Franco-Chinese culinary mix, and to invite visitors to experience the sculptures. I imagine this moment as an encounter marked by conviviality and attention to oneself, to others, to objects, to food, and to the space of A26. Every element of this project, from the interaction to the works, contributes to creating a space for introspection, sharing and connection.

?? Dates

November 16, 2024 – January 28, 2025

?? Address

A26 Space, South Gate of 751 D·Park, Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

?? Opening Hours

Monday (Café Only): 10 AM – 5 PM

Tuesday to Sunday: 10 AM – 9 PM

?????♂? No tickets required, no reservations needed?????♂?

For guided tours, please send a message to our Little Red Book account: [A26 Space].

○Exhibition Site○

○A26第十三集 范尼·吉奎尔“烹饪自己” 展览现场

On-Site Photography, Artist Portrait:

Tsing Lim @AGENT PAY

*For image use, please contact us via the official WeChat account.

○Theme○

饮用与放慢

Drinking and slowing down

循环

Circulation, 2024

材料/Materials：玻璃/Glass

尺寸/Size：共13件，高度从24 cm到55 cm 不等 / Set of 13 pieces, heights between 24 cm and 55 cm

版数/Edition：Edition 1/2

This series consists of uniquely shaped transparent glass "straws," inspired by human organs like intestines, nerves, and veins. Each straw is specially designed to slow down liquid flow, inviting people to slow their drinking pace and reflect on this fundamental life action. The work symbolically represents our internal bodily flows by mimicking internal body systems.

休息与分享

Resting and sharing

安置-沉淀

Se Déposer-To Settle, 2024

材料/Materials:织物、复古桌布、聚苯乙烯球 / Cotton fabric, vintage tablecloths, polystyrene ball

尺寸/Size:150cm直径 x 100cm长 / 150cm diameter x 100cm length from 24cm to 55cm in height

版数/Edition: 2件 / Edition of 2

This piece is a large, pear-shaped soft installation made of beige cotton, featuring numerous pockets made from antique tablecloths. Visitors can rest here and are invited to write their thoughts anonymously. These messages will eventually be embroidered onto the pockets, transforming the piece into a vessel of collective memory. Each turned-out pocket resembles a silent tongue, guarding these shared confidences.

加热与感受

Warming up and feeling

友善之手

Les Mains Amies, 2024

材料/Materials:织物、亚麻籽 / Cotton, flaxseed

尺寸/Size:150cm长 / 150cm length

版数/Edition: 9件 / Edition of 9

These sculptures, inspired by hot water bottles, are made of cotton fabric filled with flaxseed. Each piece features hand shapes at both ends, symbolizing care and warmth. The flaxseed effectively retains heat and provides a grounding sensation when placed on the body. These pieces can be positioned on different body parts, offering comfort like a gentle embrace.

聚集与观察

Gathering and observing

和解

Se Réconcilier-To Reconcile, 2024

材料/Materials:复古织物、线 / Vintage cotton fabric, threads

尺寸/Size:25x16.5cm

These small textile works are created from antique fabrics gifted by a friend. The artist carefully cuts and reassembles the fabrics, using sewing and embroidery to symbolically achieve reunification and reconciliation. Hidden beneath the transparent fabric are texts about themes like body, pleasure, pregnancy, and healing. The creation process incorporates dimensions of repair and meditation.

倾倒与观看

Pouring and seeing

触摸与释放

Touch and Release, 2024

材料/Materials:玻璃、水彩、水 / Glass, watercolor, water

尺寸/Size:45 x 25 cm

These water-filled glass sculptures bear imprints of different hand positions, as if capturing moments of caressing or holding objects. Both container and content, they carry ghostly traces of many hands, exploring the collective process of archival preservation while echoing concepts of hydrofeminism, suggesting our connection to the watery planet through a fluid continuum.

观看与倾听

Seeing and hearing

与你在一起，无边无际

L 'immensité avec vous, 2020

材料/Materials:高清，彩色 / Video, Color

尺寸/Size:9分07秒 / 9'07''

版数/Edition: Edition of 3 +1AP

"The Immensity with You" (2020) is inspired by Fernando Pessoa's poem "Ode Maritime" (written under his heteronym álvaro de Campos). Shot on the Crozon peninsula in western France, the film features performers using maritime semaphore signals to silently "translate" selected verses through body movements. The work combines three key elements: the body, the sea, and breath. Through fixed camera shots, it captures performers in nature, creating living tableaux where human gestures and breathing rhythms harmonize with the landscape.

食用、共享

Eating, sharing

（不定期·手工坊）

面包雕塑-同伴

Bread Sculpture-Les Compagnons

材料/Materials: 面粉、水、酵母 / Flour, water, sourdough

互动式装置艺术 / Interactive Installation

This interactive workshop project explores social connections through breadmaking. Bread, consumed worldwide, carries deep cultural significance. Participants collaborate to create edible bread sculptures that will be displayed and shared at the vernissage. The name "Les Compagnons" comes from Latin "companionem" meaning "one with whom bread is shared," emphasizing the connection between breadmaking and social bonds.

○About the Artist○

Fanny Gicquel

Born in Rennes, France in 1992, currently lives and works in Rennes.

Fanny Gicquel’s works navigate between installation, sculpture and performance and develop spaces that accommodate different elements which presuppose a scenario of activation. The sculptures act as extensions of the body and are activated through gestures that question the correlation between the body and object, self and other. In this way, the work explores the relationship between the animate and the inanimate, space and time during and after the actions. Gicquel's practice reveals the gaps between binary concepts such as individual and collective, private and public, intimate and distant.

Her recent solo exhibitions include “Haunt” at Hua International, Berlin, Germany (2024); "breathing with heels, walking with eyes" at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, Ireland (2023); and "Des éclats" at Passerelle Centre d'art contemporain, Brest, France (2020). She has participated in the 1st Beijing Biennale (2022) and the "Unworlding" curated section at Frieze London (2021). In 2022, she was awarded the Frac Bretagne-Art Norac Award.

○Special Menu○

fleeting café & bistro by A26 will present a specially curated exhibition-inspired menu during the exhibition period, blending the essence of the current show to create a dialogue between food and art.

The special menu for this exhibition is inspired by the culinary traditions of Brittany, the hometown of featured artist Fanny Giquel. Drawing from her provided recipes, we hope to bring you a warm and memorable taste of winter.

? Fanny’s Crêpes

Classic Breton crêpes crafted from Fanny’s personal recipe.

Available: Tuesday to Sunday (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM)

? Special Apple Warm Tea & Apple Hot Americano

Apples are the highlight of this menu, offering a soft fruity aroma and a refreshing taste, reminiscent of the gentle warmth of a winter afternoon. The Apple Hot Americano features a silky brewing method for a smooth finish.

Available: Monday to Sunday (10:00 AM – 5:00 PM)

? Cider Doux & Signature Cocktail

These two slightly sweet apple-based drinks are the perfect pairing for the crêpes.

Available: Tuesday to Sunday (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM)

*This menu is available exclusively from November 16, 2024, to January 28, 2025.

○本集展览现场气味支持○

The olfactory experience is designed to guide visitors into the spiritual world behind the artwork, dissolving into the moment and the scene. A unique scent, specially provided by 闻献DOCUMENTS, will enhance this exhibition.

The space is enveloped by two distinct fragrances:

?“VOID”, a calming woody aroma evoking the valleys and hollows stirred by the wind.

?“STUBBORN”, a profound incense crafted from 15 natural essences, embodying depth and resilience.

void                                        stubborn

○ Partner Gallery for This Exhibition ○

户尔空间北京 courtesy of Hua International

户尔空间柏林 courtesy of Hua International

Hua International is a contemporary art gallery located in Berlin and Beijing whose exhibitions, publications, and public programming supports cross-disciplinary and performative artistic practices. The gallery focuses on developing long-term relationships with its represented artists and leverages its geographic bilocation as a means to critically expand how their work can be presented and received in radically diverse cultural contexts.

After two years curating the experimental art and performance project XC.Hua, Xiaochan Hua founded Hua International in August 2020 and inaugurated the new gallery with spaces in Berlin’s historic Mercator H?fe and Beijing’s acclaimed 798 Arts District. In addition to its programming in Germany and China, Hua International has presented its artists in prestigious international art fairs.

About 'A26 episode'

A26 episode is an artistic project by A26 Space, presented in the form of a “mini-series”: artists may act as directors, orchestrating a scene on-site; or as subjects, becoming objects of observation.

Accompanied by curated food, music, and media, the artworks aim to break conventional boundaries, fostering fresh and profound interactions with the audience.

??2024 in A26??