ricardo bofill's postmodernist housing hosts genius loci exhibition

genius loci gives carte blanch to artist samuel nguyen

The Genius Loci exhibition series has arrived at Les Espaces d’Abraxas, a French postmodern housing project which stands outside of Paris as one of Ricardo Bofill’s oft-forgotten projects. Curator Marion Vignal highlights the 1983-built architecture through a new artistic lens, with a show offering carte blanche to visual artist Samuel Nguyen. For this project Nguyen has specially created a series of works and installations conceived through dialogues with the residents of the housing complex. Presented in the ARC, in a temporary exhibition space that has been inaugurated for the event, the show will be on view from June 17th through June 25th, 2023.

all images © Adrien Dirand | @adriendirand

spotlighting a controversial project by ricardo bofill

Ricardo Bofill and his team had completed the monumental Les Espaces d’Abraxas, the site of the latest Genius Loci exhibition, in response to a large-scale construction plan aimed at addressing the housing crisis in France during that time. The plan was orchestrated by the socialist government of François Mitterrand to encourage the design of affordable and high-quality housing for a continuously growing population.

Through this project, Bofill aimed to demonstrate that it was possible to design social housing units while maintaining the essence of architectural creativity, breaking away from soulless standardization and functionalism. The facades, crafted from concrete, feature archetypal shapes like arcs, pediments, columns, temples, and amphitheaters, evoking the cultural heritage of the area. Bofill drew inspiration from renowned architects such as the Italian Renaissance’s Andrea Palladio, the French figures François Mansart and Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, as well as the Catalan modernist Antoni Gaudi.

Bofill envisioned this housing complex as an ‘ideal city,’ a place where residents could live, work, and socialize within an environment designed to foster community and conviviality. However, the realization of the Espaces d’Abraxas generated both enthusiasm and criticism. Some criticized the perceived isolation and coldness of the site. Threatened with demolition in the 2000s, the complex was ultimately renovated in 2014 with the involvement of Ricardo Bofill and his architectural firm, Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA).

The Espaces d’Abraxas have served as film sets for numerous films, including Jean-Pierre Mocky’s ‘À mort l’arbitre,’ Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil,’ and most recently, the final installment of the Hunger Games saga.

concrete facades feature archetypal shapes like arcs, pediments, columns, temples, and amphitheaters

Samuel nguyen at les espaces d’abraxas

By choosing Ricardo Bofill’s postmodernist architectural complex, a long-controversial fragment of the new urban landscape, Genius Loci is pursuing its mission of raising public awareness and fostering dialogues among disciplines. The exhibition series was set forth in 2021 by the non-profit organization’s founder and curator Marion Vignal, with the desire to bring new life to forgotten or little-known architectural treasures in resonance with contemporary creation. The Genius Loci exhibition of Samuel Nguyen‘s works is presented in parallel with the Festival Regard Neuf 3.
Bofill drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance’s Andrea Palladio and Catalan modernist Antoni Gaudi