The Musée Igor Balut is located on the 4th floor of the 59 rue de Rivoli “aftersquat”- a legalized art squat now open to the public. Here is where artist David Hardy a.k.a. Suisse Marocain, has created a unique and imaginative world that makes sense of collected, salvaged objects.
Old Christmas trees, road signs, and wigs are just some of the few things you’ll find on display in chaotic order. It’s the kind of place where you can sit on a bench tossing invisible crumbs at the invisible birds that belong in the cages hanging from the ceiling; a place where fake flowers grow between mannequins and umbrellas and questions like “Avez-vous un penis carré?*” are perfectly relevant.
“Yes, the squatters [at 59 rue de Rivoli] think that art should have it’s say and question society, its laws, and its codes,” says the museum’s founder Gaspard Delanoé. This nomadic museum of ever-changing installations does just that. It constructs and deconstructs.
The Musée Igor Balut has no liking or preference. It welcomes anything and anyone, reinventing possibilities and improbable encounters. The concentrated mix of recuperated furniture and objects that once had stories of their own, brings our imagination to life.
Some questions that came to mind:
- What would we do with a helmet and a polo stick?
Vanessa: I would put the helmet on and walk through Stalingrad swinging the polo stick for protection
- Who would we call if we found a phone in a birdcage (and what would we tell that person)?
Sarah: I’d call John Cleese circa the Monty Python “dead bird” skit and tell him he’s really a very testy customer.
Kailey: Hit redial, and tell them how very much I dislike birds.
- Where would we take a pizza box and chair?
Dav: I’ve seen some pretty good pizza boxes in my time. One was sighted at my friend’s apartment in the Marais. The imagery was questionable in terms of decency (creepy Italian chef and beach babes) but it was very colourful and printed so badly that it was good.
Oh and can’t forget Pink Flamingo either. Wow. The chair I would tuck neatly under a table, angling slightly towards the right, due to my OCD.
Musée Igor Balut at 59 rue de Rivoli
4th Floor
Paris 75001
Photography by Michael Stephens. Special thanks to model Jeff.
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*Do you have a square Penis?
