Director of Parliament Gallery Léonore Larrera interviewed by Marialuisa Pastò
—parliament (n.)
The English term is derived from Anglo-Norman and dates to the 14th century, coming from the 11th century Old French word parlement ‘discussion, discourse’, from parler, ‘to talk.’
Established in 2020 by artist Achraf Touloub and art advisor Louis Vassy, Parliament is the result of a clear willingness to rethink the function and the role of the art gallery by formulating new proposals towards an open format centred around the circulation of ideas; a chosen place where the traditional way of looking at our surroundings extends to a wide spectrum of opportunities to conceive and read art practices. Thanks to the transdisciplinary approach that underlies its exhibition program – as well as its continued presence at renowned international fairs – the gallery stands out for its commitment to provide a space to a new generation of both French and international artists, along with its support towards the development of a collective reflection and a more collaborative interaction with the audience. The result offers a common ground that lightens the weight of the heightened polarization within prevailing narrative trajectories that frame the contemporary art scene. The gallery sends out a firm signal that points to its steadfast belief that true innovation can be achieved by fostering critical dialogue and by prioritizing artistic crossovers that are unmoved by the reassuring lure of fixed categories.
We talked with Léonore Larrera, new director of Parliament Gallery in Paris. Our conversation focused on the way she approaches her role, pushing the gallery’s distinctive trajectories even further by means of her own aesthetic sensibility, and the versatile nature of her practice. The latter is fuelled by a fine ethos that underlies the fruitful exchanges with the artists with whom she works, as proven by the exhibition project presented at the 2024 edition of Liste, which is the result of the collaboration between the Romanian artist Flaviu Cacoveanu and the Swiss-based artist Natacha Donzé.
Marialuisa Pastò: Let’s begin at the beginning. Your background is strongly marked by a multidisciplinary approach
to knowledge, ranging from curating (L’EHESS, Goldsmiths) to philosophy and law (Sorbonne). To what extent does
this inform your practice and how has it helped you in your career?
Léonore Larrera: Coming from a multidisciplinary background is helping me to think about the specificity of art as an access point to knowledge. Art can communicate things that philosophy and sociology cannot, and vice versa. This is the starting point to create a nourishing dialogue between those disciplines, and to approach a subject with a multiplicity of entry points. In terms of methodology, philosophy studies taught me to think from the abstract and with an attention to broader – and sometimes less visible – contemporary movements.
MP: What’s your experience with art fairs? What drew you to this specific body of works for Liste?
LL: Parliament has been supported since in its very early stages by art fairs – ones such as Frieze, Paris + by Art Basel as well as Liste. We are honored to have been selected for a third edition by Liste, and to be able to contribute to this vibrant moment in the art scene. This year, Parliament is proposing a duo show featuring artists Natacha Donzé and Flaviu Cacoveanu. The concept revolves around Parliament and the two artists’ ongoing exploration of the transformation of our relationship with the status of images at a time of image over-consumption. Through two very different practices, both artists reflect on the coexistence and reciprocal influence of the physical and virtual spaces, supplemented by the exhibition space, and bringing new significance to everyday objects and shared symbols. Their unique pictorial language evokes and even reconfigures symbols and locations of our everyday lives, leading the viewer to see them anew and re-build an active relationship with their surroundings. The new meeting space – physical, virtual, and mental – acts as a buffer zone where new rules of classification are set and where truths are debatable.
MP: You’ve gained a multifaceted experience as both an independent curator and by working within an institutional
structure before assuming your current role at Parliament. What’s the biggest challenge and what kind of mindset
does running an art gallery require?
LL: Because of the intention and precision that Achraf and Louis have put into the gallery program, joining Parliament was not a change of path but a continuation of my background and ongoing interest in curation and in the contemporary challenges within society dynamics that can be tackled through art. The vision behind the gallery and the links between its represented artists make Parliament akin to an art space. The challenge, then, was to contribute to the work developed to combine the exigence of the program with the reality and challenges of running a gallery nowadays.
MP: Paris stands out as a vibrant ecosystem of growing galleries, although still dominated by the leading established
ones, which certainly does not make it an easy territory to navigate. What does it take to build (or at least to keep
afloat) a successful gallery in that kind of landscape?
LL: IIn my view, having a long-term approach to the gallery and artists’ development is a crucial part. The authenticity of our belief in the program and its artists, and the importance of showing their practices in today’s world is a strong driving force. All the support received from curators, collectors, art fairs, and art world actors are also key contributing factors that keep Parliament going and growing.
MP: How important is your ability to form long-term relationships with the artists with whom you work, mentioning
for example the recent representation of Mohamed Namou?
LL: Mohamed Namou questions in a very unique and thoughtful way the construction and functionality of images, as well as the history of painting and its foundations. By stretching and exploring the extension of abstraction, he anticipates a contemporary renewed relation to the notions of surface, plasticity, the space and time of the art object, and its relationship with the body. As it’s the case for all the other artists represented by Parliament, we think that his practice is important to defend and make visible in regard to the challenges it faces. He has had a long-term relationship and friendship with Achraf Touloub, and our collaboration with him is the continuity of this preexisting relationship.
MP: In your view, what are the components of a good exhibition and what does it mean to be a curator today?
LL: In my view, a good exhibition continues to stay on your mind long-term, leaving traces and reactions even after the exhibition ends. Working in the field of programming and curation today comes with the challenge of creating spaces for art that do not operate at a surface level, but to defend the necessity and possibility of being an unsubstituted access to (understand) our contemporary world.
MP: Art audiences are constantly shifting. In what way can a collective-oriented approach identify new models for
exchange within contemporary art and also encourage audience flow? In these terms, does Parliament have a specific
goal?
LL: I completely agree with the necessity for a collective-oriented approach. This is one of the reasons that we are glad to be able to contribute to the discussions initiated by contemporary artists supported by Liste and all the participating galleries. This is always a very important moment for us. We are also developing a cooperative approach by having collaborative exhibitions with various art spaces and galleries. We can think of the two chapters exhibition that Parliament developed with Baronian Gallery. We first welcomed Baronian-represented artists in our space in Paris, and subsequently, the Bruxelles gallery showcased six of our artists in their space, all the while Baronian celebrated their 50 years of existence, while we were celebrating our 4 years of emergence.
MP: How would you like your gallery program to evolve in the future? Do you want to say a few words about your
future plans and/or projects coming up?
LL: We are very excited to prepare for the next season, our first solo exhibition of Achraf Touloub, as well as our second solo presentation of artists Alfredo Aceto as well as Flaviu Cacoveanu, which you can already discover at Liste this year