The Arts Centre of the International School of Geneva (Ecolint) hosted immersions into CHU Teh-Chun’s work this autumn ( October 6th – November 11th).This collaborative work between the school and the CHU Teh-Chun Foundation has generated a lot of interest from students and teachers at Ecolint, as well as from the Geneva public. It initiates a four-year educational partnership between the two institutions.
Fondation CHU Teh-Chun and the Centre des arts of Ecolint are exploring new ways of exhibiting the artist’s work as part of a four-year partnership.
Through his art, CHU Teh-Chun (1920 – 2014) showed us that it is possible to create harmony both between cultures and between man and nature, and his works clearly illustrated his desire to constantly innovate in his artistic field, while creating links between people and cultures. In 2021 – and more than ever today – it is essential to inspire the next generation to build a better, more sustainable, fairer and more joyful future together, and so we believe that art can have an impact on our planet by inspiring new generations to become better global citizens.
Fondation CHU Teh-Chun and the International School of Geneva (Ecolint), share this visionary perspective and have decided to launch a partnership. Thus this new school year sees the unveiling of the first steps of the collaboration between the two institutions, with a three-part programme hosted by the Centre des arts of Ecolint, from 6 October onwards.
Immersive Experience – Premiere for the Foundation and for the Centre des arts
The “Black Room” of the Centre des arts – an experimental space designed to give free rein to students’ creativity – is used by the Foundation to enable students and visitors to dive more intimately into the world of CHU Teh-Chun through an immersive experience which puts the spectator at the very heart of the project.
“I want to remove the audience from classic spectator mode and bring them into the very heart of the work, as if on a huge stage where they themselves become an integral part of the show. This immersive experience combining images, sounds and technology was conceived and designed especially for Ecolint,” explains Christophe Fonseca, director of the documentary film celebrating the centenary of CHU Teh-Chun.
This new multimedia exhibition is conceived as an odyssey through the major stages of CHU Teh-Chun’s creations – thanks to cutting-edge technology, the viewer “enters” the works to discover many unsuspected and previously inaccessible details, resulting in a unique approach to discovering and exploring the painter’s universe.
This experimental virtual project created by Fondation CHU Teh-Chun and Christophe Fonseca débuts at the 6 October launch. Technical aspects of the show, including state-of-the-art technology, music and scenography, are handled by Explore Studio, a company with long experience in immersive projects.
“The themes that were dear to the artist – such as nature, roots, landscapes and music – thus unfold with harmonious, poetic ease,” comments Yvon CHU, son of the artist and Vice President of the Foundation. “We are delighted to present this project to the public at the Centre des arts, with the “Black Room” space allowing real freedom of expression and reflecting the creative freedom we find in each of my father’s works.”
The Immersive experience (15 minutes) is open to public from 6 October to 11 November 2021, by appointment only, at the Centre des arts.
Exhibition – Discover the Artist’s Studio
This programme is also an opportunity to discover the collection of 10 lithographs donated by Fondation CHU Teh-Chun to Ecolint as part of the partnership.The exhibition also unveils personal objects cherished by the artist and treasured by the Foundation for its work, including brushes, ink, sketchbooks and the celebrated notebooks in which the artist reproduced his paintings before the use of photography.
This project is part of the Ecoart-Curatorial project, whose fourth edition is entitled “Draw the line”, with artists taking part in this exhibition including Gaspard & Sandra Bébié-Valérian, Véronique Caye, Chu Teh-Chun, Gilles Dusabe, Catherine Grimm, Barthélémy Grossmann, Florence Lazar, Frederik Peeters, Momar Seck and Yan Zoritchak.
“Despite the extraordinary context of the global health crisis since 2020 and large-scale life-changing crises over this period, the curatorial team has ventured onto the paths of the relationship between art and the environment, art and ecology.”
The exhibition is open to the public from 6 October to 31 November 2021 at the Centre des arts – 2nd floor
Documentary Movie – CHU Teh-Chun – An exceptional journey through the visual symphony of CHU’s work
Directed by Christophe Fonseca, produced by Les Films de l’Odyssée, combining interviews with art experts and the painter’s descendants with visits to the family archives, the documentary showcases CHU’s contribution to the lyrical abstraction movement, while at the same time highlighting his artistic skill and multidisciplinary approach to his work.
Screening of the documentary film CHU Teh-Chun (80 minutes): 11 November, 6 pm – at Centre des arts – 11 CHF – depending on the COVID 19 restrictions
