Mai 68: Posters from the Revolution Marking 50 Years – Lazinc

Mai 68 Posters

On the fiftieth anniversary of the student protests that kicked off the Mai 68 Paris riots, London gallery Lazinc will present over fifty posters created and employed during the protests.

This unique collection of iconic posters was last exhibited at The Hayward Gallery in 2008 and now forms part of Lazinc’s Permanent collection of counterculture and propaganda works.

The movement succeeded “as a social revolution, not as a political one – Alain Geismar

The graphic works are original, screen-printed posters produced during May and June in 1968 and plastered over the walls of Paris. The posters became the visual symbols of the revolution and they depict solidarity between France’s students and workers; opposition to De Gaulle and parliament; and the denouncement of a fascist regime.

Mai 68 Posters from-the Revolution Une Jeuness Que LAvenir 1968 courtesy Lazinc
Mai 68 Posters from-the Revolution Une Jeuness Que LAvenir 1968 courtesy Lazinc

The posters were created in the Atelier Populaire, the infamous workshop created in the occupied lithography studios of the École des Beaux-Arts set up by artists and students. Screen-printing was used due to the opportunity of mass-production, and none of the posters were signed by individual artists.
In a first for Lazinc, the exhibition will include ephemera from the period to contextualise the artworks in a historic setting, including archival photography, memorabilia and film footage captured during the riots.

Mai 68, Posters from the Revolution, will start an important conversation around the fiftieth anniversary of the Mai 68 riots and the place of art within revolution. What effect did the Mai 68 posters have on art? What value do the posters have as pure art? And what is the place of posters and art in today’s protests?

The final room at Lazinc is a replica of one of the Atelier Populaire studios, showing the make-shift working spaces used to create the screen-prints. The installation will be left as if interrupted, posing the question of what the Mai 68 riots achieved and what is their contribution to art and history.

“I love posters and their inherent power. They have been used as a tool of control or rebellion by everyone from counter-cultural groups to communist regimes, to subjugate billions of people. I still feel that they have their place in today’s society, take something like Shepard Fairey’s HOPE poster for the Obama campaign. A poster that in its own small way helped a black man to be voted as president of the USA, something no-one thought possible. The posters here were made by “Atelier Populaire”.

Mai 68 Posters from-the Revolution La Meme Lutte 1968 courtesy Lazinc
Mai 68 Posters from-the Revolution La Meme Lutte 1968 courtesy Lazinc

The whole idea was that anyone and everyone could contribute to the content of the posters, students, fishermen, postmen, factory workers etc. There would be assemblies where the poster choice would be made. These would invariably be printed through the day and night and then pasted up on the night-time, for the city of Paris to see what the issues at hand were. This was a pretty risky business due to the heavy-handed tactics of the French riot squad. This is a classic example of the disposed and dis-enfranchised using the poster to give voice to their concerns. The fact that time has not diminished them or their sentiment is a testimony to their power.”
– Steve Lazarides, Co-Founder, Lazinc

The volatile period of civil unrest in France during May 1968 was punctuated by demonstrations and massive general strikes as well as the occupation of universities and factories across France. At the height of its fervour, it brought the entire economy of France to a virtual halt. The protests reached such a point that political leaders feared civil war or revolution; the national government itself momentarily ceased to function after President Charles de Gaulle secretly fled France for a few hours. The protests spurred an artistic movement, with songs, imaginative graffiti, posters, and slogans.

“May 68” had an impact on French society that resounded for decades afterwards. It is considered to this day as a cultural, social and moral turning point in the history of the country. As Alain Geismar—one of the leaders of the time—later pointed out, the movement succeeded “as a social revolution, not as a political one.

The exhibition is perfectly timed to run during both the Hope To Nope at the Design Museum and the new Tate Britain exhibition

Mai 68 Posters from the Revolution 4 May – 12 May 2018 Private view: 6-9pm Thursday 3 May

Lazinc · 29 Sackville Street · Mayfair · London · W1S 3DX · www.lazinc.com

 

Further Reading

LONDON: 1968 NEW DISPLAY AT TATE BRITAIN BRINGS TOGETHER ARTWORKS MADE IN THE WAKE OF THE MAY 68 PROTESTS 7 May – 31 October 2018

Hope to Nope Design Museum

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