Gothic Provençal serves as an introduction to the other talks of SPF 666: Gothic Provençal, the curatorship of Foro, which uses as a starting point the complex trajectory of Gótico Tropical through the lens of Provence’s very own dark mythologies. As the birthplace of Nostradamus and a key node of colonial history, Provence sits on the way between the Norse origins of Gothic myths and their late 20th century tropical reinvention. Beaming from the spectral architecture of LUMA Arles, SPF 666: Gótico Provençal harnesses the transgressive spirit of Gótico Tropical as a generative matrix to explore haunting spectres and cultural responses: environmental doom, the ghost of colonialism, and magical thinking.  

Thursday, October 27
3:00 p. m. - 3:25 p. m. 
Corferias (Avenida La Esperanza with Carrera 39)
Free admission

Guest

Simon Castets (Francia)

Simon Castets is Director of Strategic Initiatives at LUMA Arles, France, and Executive Chair of Swiss Institute, New York, where he was Director from 2013 to 2021. In addition to exhibitions at Swiss Institute, recent curatorial work includes the Samdani Art Award for the Dhaka Art Summit, Rachel Rose at Aspen Art Museum, and the 89plus research project, co-founded with Hans Ulrich Obrist. He regularly contributes to catalogues and periodicals, and frequently participates in panels and juries internationally.