Time Shapes

Normandy Revisited by Bevis Martin & Charlie Youle

The Maison des Arts in Évreux presents an exhibition by the duo Bevis Martin and Charlie Youle, whose work explores forms of knowledge transmission.

Based in Rouen and collaborating for over twenty years, the artists develop a plural practice that blends sculpture (notably in ceramics), installation, painting, and video. Their research draws on the world of textbooks, illustrated books, and children's drawings to question the mechanisms of learning. Through simplifications and shifts, it reveals the strangeness and limitations of any ordering of reality.

The exhibition offers a sensitive reinterpretation of Norman history and architecture based on Romanesque and Gothic forms. Reinterpreted in a stripped-down, almost naïve manner, these “pseudo-sculptures” evoke the Bayeux Tapestry and transform complex knowledge into a field of poetic invention.
This approach resonates with Norman history, marked by circulations and transformations, exemplified by the journey of Judith of Évreux in the 11th century. It also aligns with the duo's research, which highlights a knowledge in construction, shaped from childhood by images and narratives.

In dialogue with the Youth Book Festival of Évreux, the exhibition emphasizes the role of imagination in understanding the world. Between humor, poetry, and critical perspective, it fully embodies the spirit of the Millennium by questioning the narratives that shape the Norman heritage.

Exhibition Curatorship: Fabrice Houdry

Practical Information:
All audiences  
Free

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