When we arrive here..., 2024
In cooperation with architect Marián Ravasz and
contributions from graphic designer Ľubica Segečová
Site-specific installation
Ceramics with porcelain engobe, steel
Location: Cité internationale des arts - Montmartre; 15, rue de l’Abreuvoir, 75018 Paris, France
A commission by the Cité internationale des arts in 2024
Supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Counci
Photos by the authors
"QUAND NOUS ARRIVONS ICI,
LE JARDIN EST DÉJÀ LÀ"
"WHEN WE ARRIVE HERE,
THE GARDEN IS ALREADY HERE"
This sentence is an adaptation of a quote by Belgian
artist and gardener Eline De Clercq on what constitutes
what she calls a feminist garden: "When we arrive in
the garden, the garden is already there..." It is about
accepting the garden as soon as we enter it, involving a
respectful approach to the place.
For Ilona Németh, the very principle of the garden lies
in the acceptance of EVERYONE and EVERYTHING that
already exists. This guiding principle has influenced
all her reflections and her creative process for the
development of this work, a site-specific installation
commissioned by the Cité internationale des arts for its
60th anniversary. The installation evokes the history of
the Montmartre site of the Cité internationale des arts
while proposing a rehabilitation of the existing elements.
The former guardrail of the terraced garden has been
restored through the creation of a handrail, creating a
new and safer space for visitors to the site. This artistic
gesture subtly addresses the fragility of our ecosystem—
both that of nature and of people—as well as our sense
of anxiety in the face of the ecological urgency we are
experiencing.
The handrail is made of porcelain to recall the past
resources and uses of the site. The Radet Mill, now
the famous Moulin de la Galette and the last remaining
mill of the Butte Montmartre, was originally located on
this parcel of land of the Cité internationale des arts.
Besides milling wheat, it also ground alabaster for the
Clignancourt porcelain factory (located at the bottom of
Rue du Mont-Cenis) as well as flowers for the perfumery
on Rue de l'Abreuvoir in the 19th century. The famous
Radet Mill thus gives its name to the Villa that would be
built on the land in 1870.
