Artist Comes First: Toulouse International Art Festival

The Toulouse International Art Festival opens today and runs until 23 June. Promising to be a unique and inspiring event, this years festival is entitled Artist Comes First, which was also the artistic approach to the presentation. The Toulouse programme is innovative in its long-range planning approach, which can allow for artistic commissions to be site specific – giving time to the artist to create something truly new, challenging and inspiring. This fair’s goal is to be a reflection of the intimate and beautiful town of Toulouse, moving the presentation of art out of tents and into convention halls and historic buildings.

A completely free event, the Toulouse International Art Festival is committed to showcasing visual arts and performing arts. Almost unrecognisable from its predecessor, The Printemps de Septembre Festival, the newly appointed director Jean-Marc Bustamante has given the event a shake-up for 2013. As the title of the event suggests, Bustamante’s main concern was with the idea that the “artist comes first”.

Featuring painting, sculpture, photography, video, concerts and dance, the event includes artists such as Julien Rosefeldt, Jorge Pardo, Howard Hodgkin, Emmanuel Van der Meulen, Lindsay Seers, Richard Buckminster Fuller and Tony Smith.

Artist Comes First: Toulouse International Art Festival, 24 May – 23 June.

Credits
1. Lindsay Seers,Entangled²,2012.Vue de l’installation au Turner Contemporary, Margate. Photo: David Grandorge © Lindsay Seers et Matt’s Gallery, London.