Casanova Forever

Casanova Forever is an event organised by Languedoc-Roussillon, with the global theme of Casanova life and the artwork.After the big success of “Chauffe, Marcel!” in 2006 and “La dégelée Rabelais”, with over 554 000 visitors in 2008, the Languedoc-Roussilon chose to dedicate its contemporary art event to Giacomo Casanova this year. Organised on the initiative of Languedoc-Roussillon, directed by the regional collection of contemporary art in partnership with numerous public and private contemporary art or not institutions, Casanova forever takes the shape of around 30 exhibitions, with meetings, readings, films, etc. Organising contemporary art exhibitions about Casanova consists less to find or to illustrate themes connected to the character or his life (sex, game, money, travel, magic…) than to show off what contemporary artistic creation has to offer of  “singular routes” testifying of childish freedom, innocence like a game that provokes surprise and happiness. As Casanova is an eminently individual character, it is necessary to identify artists who have this same sense of freedom or who know how to build places where visitors are always surprised.  Of course the dimension of the body and the sexual pleasure is not forgotten, but it is dealt with in an original way that is to say with huge simplicity. We should not forget that Casanova was an aesthete, somebody who knew how to appreciate fully fine art, wether musical, poetic or theatrical: to pay him tribute it was necessary to invite high-quality artists. This project gathers numerous public and private cultural institutions, galleries and artists.