Absalon

In 1990, Absalon was in residence at the Fondation Cartier in Jouy-en-Josas, where he created the four elements of Propositions d’Habitations that became part of the collection after their exhibition during Lignes de Mire – 1.

Absalon enrolled at the Institut des Hautes Études en Arts Plastiques, which was, at the time, run by Pontus Hulten, Daniel Buren, and Sarkis. Absalon designed spaces that combined all the characteristics of sculpture, furniture, and architecture, but could not be defined as belonging solely to those categories. As of the late 1980s, he created a series of Propositions d’Habitations. Crafted with no regard for functionality, cylinders and parallelepipeds contrast with the rounded forms and sharp edges, giving rise to a multiple and personal universe. Struck by AIDS, Absalon began a major project that involved building six residential structures. These buildings, called "Cellules" (cells), were to be located in Paris, Zurich, New York, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, and Tokyo, and serve as "a home that relates to the dimensions of the artist's own body and mental space". In 1993, his first solo exhibition was organised at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. He died that same year, at the age of 28. Retrospectives of his works have been organised around the world as well as in France in 2021 at the CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain de Bordeaux.