Carnaval de la famille Durand - Gloria Friedmann

Built in the late 15^th century, Hôtel de Châteaubriant remains one of largest private, aristocratic mansions in Nantes. Over the years, it has come to be known as Hôtel de la Papotière, Hôtel Becdelièvre, and finally Hôtel de Briord. Rebuilt in the 17^th century and significantly remodeled throughout the 20^th, the building was ultimately acquired by the City of Nantes in the late 19^th century and housed the École des Beaux-Arts from 1904 to 2017. Since 2020, it has been the HQ of Nantes’ Department of Heritage and Archaeology.

Invited to create an installation for LVAN alongside her exhibition at the HAB Galerie, Gloria Friedmann is presenting a group of ten hybrid beings known as the Durand family.

These human-sized figures are paused mid-movement, as if frozen: children, parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents – all have decided to pose for an unusual family photo.

Preparing for a Mardi Gras carnival, they wear the “big heads” of exotic birds. In this work, Friedmann references Carnival traditions from parts of Switzerland and Germany where, in centuries-old rituals, nature and animals are celebrated by wearing anthropomorphic masks.

Here, Friedmann offers a work focussing on the relationship between humans and animals, thus continuing her exploration of the living world. These birds symbolize life, the rainforest’s abundance, and the beauty of nature. And yet, in spite of all this, humanity continues to destroy its environment at dramatic rates.