The Pollen exhibition asks whether the experience of art can help us see our environment more clearly, or at least allow us to view—and thus conceive of—it in a different way.
A question that becomes all the more pressing at a time when the abundance of scientific discourse and journalistic and documentary output on contemporary ecological crises appears to have limited impact on collective awareness. So, what forms of storytelling can transform our relationship with nature? What approaches can both shift the way we view our worlds and rethink the ways we inhabit them?

The title of the exhibition refers to Pollen de noisetier (1992) by the German artist Wolfgang Laib. This work, made from hazel pollen, as its title indicates, and collected by the artist, has changed colour since its first exhibition. The presence of this “pure” natural material within a museum collection raises questions about its instability but also its potential to still attract insects. While Wolfgang Laib’s gesture is imbued with deep respect for nature, even a form of spirituality, it could at first glance also be considered an act of extraction.

Building on these reflections, Pollen unfolds as a journey through the collection, revealing both nature’s role as an inspiration for artists and, more crucially, offering a critical narrative of our interactions with it. Extractivism, toxicity, and the circulation of commodities are among the themes explored in the exhibition through diverse media, including video, sculpture, painting, and installation.

Pollen specifically highlights a significant number of recent acquisitions in the collection, featuring works by Chiara Camoni, Olivia Erlanger, Roy Köhnke, Kapwani Kiwanga, Nina Beier, Sébastien Vonier, Samara Scott, Julien Creuzet, Gina Pane, and Lubaina Himid. In addition to collection works, Pollen will also showcase artists who have “brushed against” Capc in some way. Over the two-year exhibition period, four artists will be featured in what could be called a “display within the display.” Works by each of these four artists will be exhibited for six months at a time, alternating to “pollinate” the collection’s artworks. The first of these artists is Emma Reyes.
 

With: Caroline Achaintre, Rosa Barba, Nina Beier, Hicham Berrada, Anna Boguighian, Chiara Camoni, Julien Creuzet, Jesse Darling, Olivia Erlanger, Louis L. Henderson, Lubaina Himid, Kapwani Kiwanga, Roy Köhnke, Wolfgang Laib, Joan Mitchell, Charly Mirambeau, Olivier Mosset, Oscar Murillo, Otobong Nkanga, Masahide Otani, Tony Oursler, Gina Pane, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Emma Reyes, David Ryan, Samara Scott, Jean-Paul Thibeau, Wolfgang Tillmans, Sébastien Vonier

Guest artist #1: Emma Reyes (28.03.2025 - 29.09.2025)
Guest artist #2: Kinke Kooi (06.10.2025 - 01.03.2026)
Guest artist #3: Ben Thorp Brown (10.03.2026 - 20.09.2026) 
Guest artist #4: Faith Wilding (29.09.2026 - 31.01.2027)

Curatorial team: Cédric Fauq with Stéphanie Cottin and Milena Páez-Barbat (Emma Reyes), Marion Vasseur Raluy (Kinke Kooi), Alice Cavender (Ben Thorp Brown) and Anne Cadenet (Faith Wilding)

Capc extends its gratitude to the lenders of Emma Reyes’ works, particularly the Ville de Périgueux – Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie du Périgord, as well as the Crèvecoeur Gallery.