“Traversée du fragment manquant”: BMW ART MAKERS presents the new winning duo of its programme, artist Raphaëlle Peria and curator Fanny Robin. An unprecedented artistic collaboration to explore new perspectives of the contemporary image.

Paris. The artist Raphaëlle Peria and the curator Fanny Robin were named winners of the BMW ART MAKERS programme to develop their project “Traversée du fragment manquant”. This artistic project is a new experiment, the result of their collaboration, which will lead to an unprecedented exhibition. This exhibition will be presented as part of two major photography events, the Rencontres d'Arles and Paris Photo. This is part of the long-standing partnerships that BMW is developing with these two cultural platforms.

The jury was composed of Simon Baker, director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Florence Bourgeois, director of Paris Photo, Andreina de Bei, journalist for Sciences et Avenir, Hervé Digne, president of Poush-Manifesto, Chantal Nedjib, founder of L'Image par l'image, Christoph Wiesner, director of Rencontres d'Arles and Maryse Bataillard, head of corporate communication and CSR BMW Group France.

The project: “Traversée du fragment manquant”
For the BMW ART MAKERS programme, the artist Raphaëlle Peria and the curator Fanny Robin propose a project on the transformation of the territory.

Based on a childhood trip made by the artist on the Canal du Midi, marked by the image and the presence of the plane trees that border the canal and stabilize its banks, the artist returns to this site classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site. Since 2006, the plane trees that dot the landscape have been affected by a disease caused by a microscopic fungus, causing them to wither away. Their absence will profoundly change the landscape.

With “Traversée du fragment manquant”, the artist Raphaëlle Peria, who compares her approach to that of an ecologist studying a landscape and how it works, proposes to immortalize this endangered ecosystem by mixing personal archives and current photographs of the banks of the canal. These images are printed on large-format glass plates, unprecedented in her artistic practice. Using a unique engraving and scraping process, she fuses photographs, drawings and prints to illustrate the evolution of this landscape in order to preserve its memory.

Raphaëlle Peria and Fanny Robin declared upon the announcement of their nomination: “A huge thank you to the members of the BMW ART MAKERS programme jury for their confidence in our project. This programme recognizes our partnership started several years ago and will allow us to go further in the research and experimentation of new forms and new materials. This project, which we want to be unique and daring, and which will be thanks to the support and guidance of the BMW teams, is a real opportunity to explore and engage in new directions. With ‘Traversée du fragment manquant’ we invite viewers to experience a poetic escape, at the heart of the photographic image”.

The BMW ART MAKERS programme will make this project possible.“We believe that the association of an artist and a curator is key to giving birth to large-scale projects, from the first idea to the final work. We believe that dialogue and diverse perspectives are essential for creation and innovation. We give artists total creative freedom, while providing the artistic and technical expertise of our network. With the decisive support of the BMW ART MAKERS programme, this ambitious project will be able to fully materialize and shine on the national and international artistic scene” - Maryse Bataillard, Head of Corporate Communication and CSR, BMW Group France.

More than 180 applications received for this new edition.
Each year, the projects received during the call for applications reflect the trends and topics invested by artists. Among more than 180 applications submitted, the six selected finalist duos had to provide a note of intent, a budget, a production schedule, a scenography proposal and images of their previous work.

These projects presented revealed a great diversity of profiles and works, with 55% of mixed-gender duos, 35% of female duos and 10% of male duos. 58% of the duos were French, 42% were international, coming from more than 26 countries.

Several major trends have emerged, reflecting current societal challenges. Numerous proposals addressed themes related to the environment and ecological transition, inviting contemplation and meditation on the relationship between man and nature. Other projects have addressed issues of post-colonialism, ethnography, and endangered cultural traditions. The inclusion and visibility of minorities were also addressed, in particular through the theme of migrants. Finally, the scenography revealed a strong trend towards immersive exhibitions, using new technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, often accompanied by sound or light devices.

The first selection of projects was carried out by a pre-jury of visual arts professionals composed of Fabienne Bideaud, curator and art historian, Karin Hemar, creator and consultant in creative strategy, co-president of Les Filles de la Photo, Fabrice Laroche, professor referent at Gobelins, l ‘école de l ‘Image, Maud Prangey, consultant in images and contemporary art, and Maryse Bataillard, head of the corporate communication and CSR, BMW Group France.

The pre-jury allowed 6 nominated artist-curator duos to be auditioned during an interview in front of the jury

• Raphaëlle Peria (artist), Fanny Robin (curator) with the project Traversée du fragment manquant.
• Christian Vium (artist), Irene Campolmi (curator) with the project Unless the Miles Travelled Means Something More than Journey.
• Constantin Schlachter (artist), Margot Nguyen (curator) with the project Polyphonie des Invisibles.
• Haley Morris-Cafiero (artist), Eva Eicker (curator) with the project What Does an Ideal Employee Look Like?
• Sylvie Bonnot (artist), Marie Robert (curator) with the project Et si ?
• Laure Winants (artist), Stéphanie Pécourt (curator) with the project Time Capsule II.

Biography of the laureates:
Raphaëlle Peria, artist.
Graduated in 2014 from the École Européenne Supérieure d'Art de Bretagne. In 2015, she was a finalist for the Emerige Revelations Grant and in 2017 she held her first solo exhibition at the Papillon Gallery, Paris. In 2019 she was a Creative Resident Artist at the Château Blanc in Flixecourt, concluded with the solo exhibition Narcissus in Flores. In 2021, she participated in the Blooming exhibition organized at the Domaine Pommery in Reims. In 2022, she participated in the exhibition Singularités plurielles: Azul Andrea, Eva Jospin, Raphaëlle Peria, Christelle Téa at the Chapelle de la Visitation — Espace d’art contemporain, Thonon-les-Bains. In 2024, she presented her personal exhibition Dérives de nos Rêves informulés, Bullukian Foundation, Lyon. It is part of public and private collections: Frac Picardie, La Cohue Museum of Fine Arts, Thalie Foundation (BE).

Fanny Robin, curator.
Fanny Robin is an art critic, artistic director of the Bullukian Foundation in Lyon and an independent curator. In 2018, she founded the Campagne Première festival, which raises awareness about contemporary art and the promotion of heritage in rural areas, in particular through the hosting of artists in residence and the implementation of exhibitions where inhabitants and local actors are invited to take part in cultural projects. Fanny Robin develops a curatorial approach and a committed critic on the issues of transmission and relationships. She is particularly interested in artists who draw on the past (historical context, traditional gestures and techniques, popular traditions and material and intangible heritages...) to question current events and our changing society.