JEROME SANS
JEREMY SANS'S
LEADING CULTURE DESTINATIONS:
Curator, writer, institutional director, artistic director, rock musician – these are just a few of the roles played by Jérôme Sans, none of which manage to capture the entirety of the man himself. As one of the most unconventional, creative curators of his generation, Jérôme Sans is known globally for an idiosyncratic and pioneering approach to the presentation, discussion, and exhibition of contemporary art. Through an innovative and open approach towards contemporary practices, Sans has challenged the way that curating is viewed both in France, as well as abroad. Having curated numerous major exhibitions around the world, he has become renowned for reinventing himself and building new models for institutions, particularly as the former director of the ground breaking Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing and co-founder of the acclaimed Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Sans is now the creative director of the new french cultural life style magazine L’Officiel Art, and co-founder of Perfect Crossovers ltd, a Beijing based cultural consultancy group, as well as Artistic director of one of the most important urban development projects in Europe – the Lyon Rives de Saône-River Movie.
If there was one piece of art you could feature in, which would it be and why?
I would like to be an Alberto Giacometti 'walking man', as like me, he never stops, and is never still.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by the people I meet and our shared desire to create something new. I am amongst those who think "too much is never enough", and always want more, so I believe nothing is ever finished, and everything can, and must, be challenged. This appetite is what inspires me.
What are your cultural aspirations?
I want to have more adventures, take more risks, and meet more people willing to take those risks. Everyone wants their cake, but very few are willing to bake it - that courage and creativity leads to real creation.
What are your favourite cultural cities?
Nowadays, its Beijing. It's such a vibrant city, and so full of possibilities. One feels that they can achieve anything and everything in Beijing. The leftover American dream of the 80s in New York also still interests me, it is like a beautiful and inspiring older woman.
What are you up to at the moment?
I try to invent new projects that allow us to introduce culture into our every day lives, instead of merely building houses for art. This is why I am interested in working with media, brands, and new cultural models for art centres and art institutions. I see all of these intersections happening every day in China, and this is why I co- founded Perfect Crossovers in Beijing, with my two partners. November 2013.