L’artiste : habitant, résident, touriste. Réflexions à propos de Francis Alÿs

Abstract

In 1995, the Belgian artist Francis Alÿs exhibited himself on a square in Mexico City with a sign: "Turista". In 1997, he did The Loop, rejoining Tijuana to San Diego around the Pacific. In 2001, he stopped walking to look in the air for a few minutes. Claiming himself a professional tourist, he never stops questioning the world through the fine observation of his environment, which he reports through metaphor or parable. As an exemplary figure, he allows us to question the dwelling, and more precisely to dwell as a tourist, in the field of contemporary artistic creation. Added to this notion is that of residence, very used in the artistic context – residency –, which is here to question. The tourist-resident-dweller artist implements poetic and political ways of being and acting and thus proposes a certain wisdom of dwelling.

Keywords

• Francis Alÿs
• dwelling
• living
• tourist
• walking
• play