LIQUIDATION OF THE CABANON
A film by Jean-Claude Larrieu
In Provence, the sale of his adolescent “shack” pushed Bernard into a state of exorcism. Intent on streamlining, or even disappearance, the artist invented the “Liquidation of the Cabanon.”
For his big retrospective at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie – a crucial partner for the artist since its creation by Jean-Luc Monterosso in 1996 – Bernard disposes of all the objects of his youth up to and including the accessories of his first stagings, according to a profane ritual with sacred inspiration.
From the leather bed he was born in to the mannequins, everything is given away.
Savvy visitors and chance bargain hunters took turns passing before the master, who helped each of them take away a little piece of his past. After two days, nothing was left except memory – and a few longtime friends like Jean-Claude Larrieu, camera in hand, immortalizing the moving ceremony.