The power of objects

What do Musée L’s textiles, sculptures, garments, jewellery, masks, amulets, musical instruments, censers and missals tell us? What purpose did they serve before they were uprooted from their original context and put on display? How do we comprehend the customs and the abundance of life embodied in these objects?

From their religious origins, they have come to represent cultures and have all, at some point in their history, been part of a rite associated with beliefs, gestures, words, sounds, smells and more… These objects find their place and meaning in a series of actions within a specific space and time in a particular society. 

The exhibition Art & Rite. The power of objects juxtaposes artifacts from different cultures as far afield as Europe, Congo, Ladakh and New Guinea. It forges connections between objects and people, and between the visitors themselves. Immerse yourself in the presence, beauty, exoticism and sheer number of items that played a role in rituals all intended to bring peace, vital balance and order to the visible and invisible worlds.

Co-commissaires :

Caroline Heering, FIAL/INCA
Anne-Marie Vuillemenot, ESPO/IACS