By J. H. Vienne, Archives of Curious Art
PARIS, 2002 — The art world of the early aughts was obsessed with the digital y2k transition, glossy photorealism, and the nihilism of post-postmodernism. Yet, tucked away in a former glove factory in the 11th arrondissement, a quiet Canadian ex-pat named Benjamin Beaulieu staged what might be the most unsettling—and most forgotten—show of the year: Étranges Exhibitions. etranges exhibitions 2002 benjamin beaulieu
At 28, Beaulieu was already known in underground zines for his "taxidermy of the inanimate"—breathing life into broken furniture and draining the warmth from human effigies. But Étranges Exhibitions was his first (and, as he would later claim, his only) public solo show before he vanished from the scene in 2004. "You are about to witness objects exhibited against
The 2002 showing was significant for several reasons: The central theme was l’étrange — the strange
The exhibition, running from November 8 to December 21, 2002, was not a gallery show in the traditional sense. Beaulieu transformed the space into a "curio cabinet of false memories." Upon entry, visitors were handed a pamphlet printed on yellowed, water-stained paper that read:
"You are about to witness objects exhibited against their will. Do not applaud. Do not photograph. Do not remember correctly."
The central theme was l’étrange — the strange as a physical substance rather than an emotional reaction. Beaulieu argued that objects accumulate invisible histories, and that some objects are "born strange" due to errors in their manufacturing or purpose.