Christian Catafago

While having a private visit of the Boghossian Foundation in 2014 with other artists, I requested the possibility of following the workers just before the next opening. I’ve always been fascinated by the architecture of the former Villa Empain, the former residence of Baron Empain and a great testimony of Art Deco in all of its splendor when it was finished in 1934 by the supremely talented Swiss Architect Michel Polak, whose sons were to complete the emblematic Atomium.

The Villa Empain passed through many incredible periods including being at a time the Soviet Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium. However, for me, I still remember visiting this place when it was completely dilapidated, squatted, with an open fire on the marble of the main hall.

Jean Boghossian managed to complete against all odds the restoration of this incredible place in 2010. The Boghossian Foundation, currently directed by Louma Salame, has been doing an incredible work by exhibiting thematic expositions of the highest level.

It is neither this intellectual work nor the place itself, though a parallel can be made with the Empain Villa of Cairo as seen in my “Archeology” series that is of interest to my eyes here.

What interested me, were all the individuals, anonymous souls, permitting such brilliant intellectual and artistic endeavors to be completed. I got permission to register the process of presenting the artworks and registered it over a week’s time.

The works, curators, managers and artists were placed second to the human beings who laboriously allow the representation of the sublimation process of art representation.