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Art-o-rama 2025 : Interview Les Filles du Calvaire (english version)

1 août 2025

Maya-Inès Touam, Ce que le jour doit à la nuit 2024 courtesy the artist, galerie Les Filles du Calvaire

For its first participation to art-o-rama 19th edition, Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire presents a solo exhibition by Maya-Inès Touam. The show follows a recent residency in Portugal supported by the Compagnie Fruitière Endowment Fund, and highlights Touam’s evolving body of work shaped by cross-cultural dialogue.

The gallery also takes part in the collective tribute to the late Roger Pailhas, a central figure in the history of the fair, with a selection of never-before-seen works by Jérémie Cosimi. Through this double presence, Les Filles du Calvaire affirms its commitment to southern networks and reinforces its engagement with the region’s vibrant art scene.

Currently on view at the Paris space is Empreintes – du geste au langage, a group exhibition curated by Pierre El Khoury. Artistic director Marie Magnier offers insight into the curatorial concept, describing it as a bold and unprecedented exploration of the connections between gesture and language.

Amid the troubling conclusions of the latest CGPA report, Marie Magnier emphasizes the urgency of rethinking gallery models in times of uncertainty. “More than ever,” she asserts, “we need to sustain collective momentum among galleries while adapting to the shifting landscape.”. She answered my questions.

Marie de la Fresnaye. Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire is presenting a solo show by Maya-Inès Touam at the 2025 edition of Art-o-rama, following a residency in Senegal supported by the Compagnie Fruitière Endowment Fund. What did the residency offer the artist ? and in what way is the booth’s presentation a reflection of that experience ?

Marie Magnier. Our stand is indeed the result of Maya-Inès Touam recent research and production residency in Senegal, made possible through the support of the Compagnie Fruitière Endowment Fund.

This partnership offered the artist a fertile ground for experimentation, exchange, and creation, deeply connected to the local context.

The project on view at Art-o-rama reflects this immersive experience. The booth brings together a new body of work produced between Dakar and Paris, shaped by the artist’s engagement with Senegalese history, rituals, and traditional knowledge. These elements enrich Touam’s ongoing exploration of identity formation and postcolonial legacies, central themes in her practice.

This creative momentum also led to an exhibition in Dakar during the 2024 Biennale, further amplifying Touam’s presence on the African continent. The presentation at Art-o-rama extends that trajectory adapting it to the particular context of an international art fair: intellectually rigorous and accessible to a diverse audience.

Jérémie Cosimi, Les fruits de nos amitiés, 2024 courtesy the artist, galerie Les Filles du Calvaire

MdF. The gallery is also taking part in the special tribute to Roger Pailhas with a selection of previously unseen works by Jérémie Cosimi. What emerges from this body of work?

MM. We were invited by Gabrielle Bryers to participate in this tribute booth dedicated to Roger Pailhas. The collective presentation brings together several French and international galleries, including Air de Paris, Art : Concept, Continua, Esther Schipper, Loevenbruck, Mennour, Jérôme Pantalacci, and La Traverse.

For the occasion, Jérémie Cosimi is preparing a new series of previously unseen works that resonate with the sensitive and demanding legacy of Roger Pailhas. Deeply informed by the history of painting, Cosimi’s practice explores the tension between the intimate and the collective. In a chiaroscuro atmosphere, objects and bodies appear as remnants of a suspended, troubled everyday life imbued with silence.

This new body of work reaffirms, through painting, the power of art to evoke a shared memory. It offers a discreet, poetic echo to the spirit of collecting and transmission that Roger Pailhas embodied throughout his career.

Exhibition view « Empreintes du geste au langage » galerie Les Filles du Calvaire 2025 photo Nicolas Brasseur

MdF. This is the gallery’s first time participating to art-o-rama. What appeals to you about the fair’s positioning? How is it a vital catalyst for the Marseille art ecosystem and beyond?

MM. This is the gallery’s first participation in Art-o-rama, although we’ve followed the fair for a long time. What makes it so compelling is the uniqueness of its positioning: its high curatorial standards, its human-scale format, and the quality of dialogue it fosters between galleries, artists, institutions, and collectors.

Art-o-rama has established itself as a truly singular platform in the South of France—bold, selective, and intellectually stimulating. It offers a space and a rhythm that allow for ambitious projects to be presented in a setting that encourages discovery, far from the hectic pace of the larger international fairs.

It’s also a key catalyst for the local art ecosystem—and well beyond. The South of France enjoys a rich cultural tradition and a community of collectors who are both eclectic and discerning, seeking authentic relationships with works and with artists.

This connection to place resonates strongly with the gallery’s evolution. We increasingly represent artists based in the South or deeply connected to the region: Jérémie Cosimi and Karine Rougier in Marseille; Léo Fourdrinier and Makiko Furuichi in Toulon; and Clara Rivault and Bianca Argimón, both graduates of MO.CO. Esba in Montpellier. Participating in Art-o-rama allows us to deepen these ties and share these geographic and artistic affinities with a committed audience, both local and international.

MdF. Les Filles du Calvaire is currently hosting the group exhibition « Empreintes – from Gesture to Language », featuring works by Alexandre Fandard, Giovanni Leonardo Bassan, and Mariana Hahn, curated by Pierre El Khoury. How did the project come about, and what is at stake ?

MM. The exhibition Empreintes – from Gesture to Language is part of the momentum sparked by the opening of our second space in 2023. This additional venue has allowed us to expand our programming, notably by inviting guest curators and experimenting with new exhibition formats within the gallery context.

The project emerged following our encounter with curator Pierre El Khoury, whose sensitivity and thoughtful perspective immediately resonated with us. He proposed bringing together the works of Alexandre Fandard, Giovanni Leonardo Bassan, and Mariana Hahn around a common thread: the interplay between gesture, the body, language, and memory.

Through this exhibition, we aim to offer our audience a fresh curatorial experience, while introducing them to artists with distinctive approaches. It’s a way for us to enrich our programming, foster new dialogues, and continue to affirm the gallery’s identity as a vibrant space for experimentation and exchange.

MdF. The artist Thomas Lévy-Lasne is taking part in the group exhibition Copistes at the Centre Pompidou-Metz. How did the gallery support this singular and impactful project?

MM. Thomas Lévy-Lasne is an artist we’ve been working with since 2020. From the very beginning of our collaboration, we’ve actively supported all of his projects—whether personal, institutional, or editorial.

MdF. The recent CPGA report highlights serious concerns about the future of French galleries. How do you respond to this? What solutions do you believe should be prioritized ?

MM. We’re of course paying close attention to the findings of the CPGA report, which sheds light on the structural vulnerabilities that many galleries experience on a daily basis. We’re currently navigating a period of global uncertainty—economic, political, and cultural—and the art world is no exception. The slowdown of the market, the reconfiguration of international exchange, and the rising cost of operations are all pushing us to rethink our models and make more strategic decisions.

In practical terms, we’ve become more selective about the fairs we participate in, especially internationally, and we’re placing greater emphasis on activating our Parisian spaces year-round. We also deeply believe in solidarity between galleries—something we foster in particular with our colleagues on Rue Chapon, through initiatives like evening openings and a joint vernissage planned for Saturday, September 6.

In a tense climate, these collective dynamics are essential.

This moment of fragility also reminds us just how vital galleries are: they are spaces for reflection, transmission, experimentation, and connection. More than ever, it’s important to preserve these sites of engagement and thought, where artists and audiences alike can continue to imagine alternative narratives.

Practical Infos :

art-o-rama 2025

Hours

Friday, August 29, 2025

11am – 5pm: VIP Preview for VIP Cardholders

5pm – 8pm: Opening via invitation

Saturday, August 30, 2025

2pm – 8pm

Sunday, August 31st, 2025

2pm – 8pm

Tickets

Salon Art-o-rama + every exhibition at la Friche