Meet The Co-Art Director Of Blueproject Foundation Aurlien Le Genissel

Meet Aurélien Le Genissel, the Co-Art Director of a multidisciplinary arts centre, The Blueproject Foundation, located in the heart of Barcelona. Aurélien, a global citizen with a background in cultural journalism, history and philosophy, has been working in the foundation since the very beginning; the idea took a physical form two years ago when the small team, lead by the founder Vanessa Salvi, decided to make their dream to build an art foundation into reality. Visit Blueproject on their website to learn more about the current exhibitions and for now, join us to read more about Aurélien’s inspiring thoughts about the work and life surrounded by the world of art.

What is the most unusual request you’ve had’

Artists are more boring than we usually think…but one asked us one day to cancel the opening of the foundation (not the opening of the exhibition but the inauguration of the foundation to the public), five minutes before the doors had to open, because one of her photographs was slightly (2 cm…) crooked. We spoke with her and we obviously opened the Foundation.
What advice would you give to someone who was trying to break into the business?

The same than in any other business: work hard. Study a lot. Study more. And…a little bit more. Be curious. Stand for your ideas, whatever the other people think. And wait… it’s a lot about luck and patience anyways.
What’s next?

Find new ideas, new projects and some crazy impossible challenges that would help me to jump out of the bed in the morning. I always need new challenges so I don’t feel motionless. We’ll think of something surprising and fun to do in the Blueproject. We’re working on it…

What is your dream project?

My real dream project is simply to write a book. It’s harder than it seems… In the art field, I already achieved a lot of my dreams with the Foundation but it would be great to organize a biennial someday… maybe in Barcelona.

What is your favorite museum or gallery?

There are a lot of incredible places. I love Le Louvre in Paris, because it’s like a classic big book (like the Bible or the Divine Comedy…): you always find something different each time you go in there. But I also love the Tate Modern in London, le Palais de Tokyo, l’Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton and the Perrotin gallery in Paris. In Madrid, I love the exhibitions of the Reina Sofia but I think it’s a complicated and strange space (architecturally speaking).
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?

Above all the others, Samuel Beckett. But I’m very curious and I like a lot of stuff. So, if I could choose one person per field (I know I’m cheating…), I would probably choose Kurt Gödel (in science), Ingmar Bergman (in cinema), Friedrich Nietzsche (in philosophy), Freddie Mercury (in music) and Francis Bacon (in art). Or I’d have dinner with myself 10 years ago or myself 10 years from now.

How would you describe Blueproject Foundation in 80 characters?

A contemporary art foundation where everything can happen…except boring stuff.
Train or plane? Train for the short distances (so you can enjoy the landscape). And plane for the really long distances, for the pleasure to land in the other side of the earth, with jetlag and a new place to discover. I like this feeling to fall into a new universe, like it was a dream, just when you land after a long trip.
Mac or PC? PC. From the outside, Apple looks like a freaky sect where design is overpaid and all the devices work only between them. Also, some years ago, I tried to understand how iTunes works and, still today, I have nightmares about it…
Picasso or Dalí? Neither. I used to love both but Dalí is sometimes too obvious and transparent. Picasso is a genius but his work has become a brand, a logo that prevents too many people from criticizing and therefore to think by themselves.

Paris or New York? Impossible to choose only one. New York brings out all your energies and dreams but Paris gives you the key to use this energy in a clever way. Verdi said once: ‘We have to turn ourselves to the past, it will be a progress’. I like to think that the beauty of N.Y and Paris is like that: to appreciate the greatness of the past to understand better what we have to build for our future… But my heart is in Paris I think…
Cava or Champagne? Unfortunately I don’t like bubbles so I never tried neither of them. But I’m French and my friends tell me there’s no comparison possible…so, obviously, champagne.
Sea or Mountain? Mountain. Sea is too crowded and touristic.
Interview by Anna Jauhola