Yann Toma (born in 1969) in is an artist and a researcher, the lifelong president of the company Ouest-Lumière and an artist-observer within the UN, where he sits as an entrepreneurial artist. With projects always anchored in a societal context, Yann Toma's fundamental idea is to rebuild the link. Connecting with ourselves, our collective memory, and the transforming power generated by the mass, art is used here as a means of materializing energy flows but also as an energy in its own right.
Yann Toma is a French contemporary artist and a researcher. He positions his work and his reflection on the border of the artistic expression, always involved in political and social events. Toma places the artist as responsible for social debate. As a mediator he can invite people to get involved, to take part of a collaborative energy. Toma collaborates with entreprises, political scientists as well as philosophers. By salvaging material from former electric power company Ouest-Lumière in the early 1990s, he has appropriated a symbolic network, an industrial infrastructure which he turned into his research territory and the very matter of his activity. Toma, president for life of Ouest Lumière, is also an artist-observer within the U.N where he sits as an entrepreneurial artist.
Artistic energy Toma developed the concept of artistic energy. He appropriated a symbolic network, an infrastructure coming from factories of which he made his territory of research and the subject of his activity. "Ouest-Lumière" is above all about an immaterial network which the artist established patiently, a network of subterranean resistance resting on the notion of memory and report. His personal but collaborative exhibition Dynamo-Fukushima, exhibited at the Grand Palais for the Heritage Days of September 2011, attracted more than 17,000 people in two days. This focus on collective energy and solidarity, after the nuclear disaster of Fukushima in this case, is the tone of Toma's favorite topic.
Career positions The artist is also a PHD professor and a researcher in University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne where he manages the team of research CNRS (French national center for scientific research), named " Art & Flux " "Art & Flux". Official website of Art & Flux. which is as much a look-out post, an observatory of theoretical and critical research, as a laboratory of experiment and artistic production. Artiste-chercheur Yann Toma. Official Website of CERAP. Art & Flux (Art and Flows) reports in a critical way what connects the art, the economy and the society. He is the author of the collective work Les entreprises critiques (" The critical companies ")Book Les entreprises critiques, Published by CERAP (Art&Flux) Éditions/Cité du Design Éditions/AdvanciaNegocia, 2008. and of Artistes & Entreprises (Artists & Companies).
Collections The artistic work of Toma is part of numerous collections. His work is integrated in particular into the collection of Centre Georges Pompidou "Hors-Série "Machines" : les intervenants, Yann Toma". "Special issue" Machines ": the participants, Yann Toma ". Official Website of the Centre Georges Pompidou. and was put in the inventory of the National Art Collection of Contemporary Art in 2007. He is represented by The Opening Gallery, in New York. A monography, entitled "Yann Toma" (texts, conversations, 700 photos and illustrations), went out to September 2011 which presents the extent of his work and artistic flux of the President for life of Ouest-Lumière. "Yann Toma, la monographie". Official Website of the Presses du Réel. Publisher. "Rencontre Beaux-arts avec l’artiste Yann Toma". " Meet Fine arts (School of Fine Arts) with the artist Yann Toma ". Website of the FNAC. His personal participative exhibition in the Grand Palais Dynamo-Fukushima (in September 2011) gathered more than 17,000 visitors in two days."Dynamo Fukushima – European Heritage Days (September 17 & 18 2011)" . Official website of the Grand Palais. "Making of : Dynamo – Fukushima installation". French Rmn Grand Palais. The French national memorial created for the centennial of the World War I is the last monumental artwork of the artist. At night, the monument called L'Anneau de la mémoire becomes La Grande Veilleuse ("The Great Wake Light") and the memory of 580,000 soldiers keeps shining when the visitors are gone.
Artistic route
Personal exhibitions 1992, 1994 Élaboration du Mémorial de l'Usine Ouest Lumière (Elaboration of the Memorial of the Factory Ouest Lumière), Espace EDF, Puteaux, France
1997 L'Usine fantasmagorique, (The phantasmagorical Factory), Centers art and culture of the Farm of Buisson, Noisiel La vitrine de l'officine du docteur Bartok (The shop window of the pharmacy of doctor Bartok), Révillon d'Apreval Gallery, Paris, France Le cercle de la crypte (The circle of the crypt), Caves de l'AFAA, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (France), Paris, France Alchimie souterraine (Subterranean alchemy), Chez Eve Marie-Chauvin, Paris, France
1998 Plovdiski noshti, Alliance Française (French alliance) of Bulgaria and Gallery Gamma, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
1999 Ostension de Rose HEIM, 'La hune' Bookshop, Paris, France Les nuits de Plovdiv, Affaires culturelles de la Ville de Paris (Cultural affairs of the City of Paris), AFAA, Paris (Association Française d'Action Artistique – French association of Artistic Action)
2000 Restes lumière, Galerie Valérie Cueto, Paris, France
2001 Crimes sur commande (Crimes to order), Espace huit novembre, Paris, France
2002 Contrôle qualité (Quality control), Patricia Dorfmann Galery, Paris, France Ouest-Lumière – Laboratoire de recherche (Research laboratory), Patricia Dorfmann Galery, Paris, France Début de transmission (At the beginning of transmission), Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, France
2003 Procédure de Rappel (Procedure of Reminder), Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France BF15 AIRPORT, BF15, Lyon, France Ouverture de l'ABRI, Paris, France
2004 "Ouest-Lumière", The Brewers, Liège, Belgium Traitement de faveur (Special treatment), La Blanchisserie, Boulogne, France
2005 Ouest-Lumière 1905–2005, CCC, Tours "cartons, invitations, affiches, esthétique de Yann Toma, CCC Tours, Ouest-lumière 1905–2005". Cardboards, invitations, posters, aesthetics of Yann Toma. Website Exporevue. Flux radiants et Transmission Annecy, (Radiant Flows and Transmission Annecy ), Castle museum, Annecy Ouest-Lumière, Center of art La Passerelle, Brest, France
2006 Good vibrations, Alliance française of New Delhi, India Part de jouissance (Part of enjoyment), Patricia Dorfmann Galery, Paris, France
2007 Part de jouissance 2 (Part of enjoyment 2), Centre d'art contemporain d'Épinal (Contemporary Arts Center of Épinal), Épinal, France
2008 Ouest-Lumière la collection (31–05,31-08), Museum EDF Electropolis, Mulhouse, France
2009 BANKROT, Bourouina Gallery, Berlin, 6th District, Germany Dynamo POST-BANKRUPT, Musée Zadkine, Paris, France BANKROT, Cultural French Ambassy, New York, United States CROSSING WAYS, UNO, New York, United States
2010 Security Council, United Nations, New York City Geysir Ouest-Lumière, Royaumont Abbey, France
2011 Dynamo-Fukushima, Grand Palais, Paris "Journées du Patrimoine – Yann Toma, 17 et 18 septembre 2011". Official Website of the Grand Palais. "Au Grand Palais, le coup de pédale de Yann Toma pour le Japon". In the Grand Palais, the blow of pedal of Yann Toma for Japan ". Website of the french national newspaper Libération. Article of Vincent Noce, of September 16th, 2011. "Yann Toma et Ouest Lumière – Dynamo-Fukushima – DONNEZ VOTRE ÉNERGIE POUR LE JAPON !". Give your energy for Japan ! Website of Japonaide. There was chemistry, Walls and bridges, French Embassy in the United States, New York City "Yann Toma, artiste plasticien". Official website of Walls and Bridge. Security Council, Monumental work, La Villette, Paris – CO² Storage/Sculptures de CO², Hôtel Lutetia, FIAC, Paris, France " Yann Toma exposes its CO's sculptures ² to the hotel Lutetia " . Website of COAL, Coalition pour l'art et le développement durable (Coalition for the art and the sustainable development). General Assembly, UN, United Nations, New York – Incursiòn en la ONU, Bogotá, Colombia . Official website of Valenzuela Klenner Galeria Wikileaks : Les câbles litigieux Ouest-Lumière (Wikileaks: The litigious cables Ouest-Lumière), Incognito Artclub, Paris, France "Wikileaks: Les câbles litigieux Ouest-Lumière" . Website La Critique. Article published on Friday, February 4th, 2011, written by Gaétane LAMARCHE-VADEL Geysir Ouest-Lumière, Royaumont Abbey, France Transmission Karlsruhe, KAMUNA, Karlsruher Museumsnacht, Germany
2012 L'Or Bleu (the blue gold), In association with Francis Kurkdjian, Le Bazacle, foundation EDF, Toulouse, France
2013 TRANSvision, light work and video installation, main guest of Montrouge Biennale, Le Beffroi, Montrouge, France TRANScorp. light transmission, interactive and permanent artwork, La Briqueterie, Vitry-sur-Seine, France The Man in Gold, Alvin Alto Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2014 Observations on Secrecy, Surveillance and Censorship, drawings, "Logan Symposium", The Barbican Centre, London Climate March & General Assembly, engagement and civic investigation, New York, United States La Grande Veilleuse (The Great Wake Light), monumental work mixing light and architecture, in collaboration with the architecture agency AAPP. French national memorial of the World War I, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, France PLASMA, personal exhibition around the series "Les Restitutions". Bourouina Gallery, Berlin
2015 Human Energy, monumental and participative installation, Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Climate Statements, portraits of States Chiefs drawn at the UN headquarters, Espace Krajcberg, Paris, France
2016 Liberty Light, Eiffel Tower, Paris, New-York Flux Radiants : l'énergie que nous avons en nous, photographie, Peugeot Avenue, Beijing, China Drawings about Wikileaks, Variation Paris Media Artfair, during FIAC, Paris, France Sculptures, Société de Service, Plateforme, Paris, France Flux Radiants, Art of Change 21 à la COP22, Le Riad Yima, Marrakesh, Morocco Câbles Ouest-Lumière, in Sociétés de service, Plateforme, Paris, France Energetic Cover, photographie, Socialter, France YEW : Youth Energy Water, oeuvre monumenatale participative, La Manera de Marrakesh, Morocco Human Greenergy, oeuvre monumentale participative, Baitaisi White Dagoba Temple, Beijing Design Week, Beijing, China Human Lux, installation, Musée de l'Homme, IHEST Ministère de la Recherche, Paris, France Ouest-Lumière Papers Show, dessins/drawings, Incognito Art Club, Paris, France Signing Ceremony, drawings, General Assembly, United Nations, New York, United States Change Power, Portraits Logan Symposium, BCC, Berlin, Germany
2017 The United Nations General Assembly, performances, New York, United States Flux radiants, photographies, Paris Photo, Banque Neuflize, Paris, France Tokyo Tour, série de performances, Tokyo, Japan The Artist in Residence for life at the UN, série d'interventions, New York, United States
2018 Réactivation Ouest-Lumière, Espace Immanence, Paris, France
2019 Transmission IV: Freedom for plants and the new pact for humanity, France-Romania Season, Institut Français, Timișoara, Romania Transmission III: listen to the secrets of the world, Saison France-Romania, Institut Français, Iași, Romania Brain Plants, Saison France-Roumanie, Institut Français, Victoria Gallery, Iași, Romania In situ work, Saison France-Roumanie, Institut Français, Central de Interes, Iași, Romania Transmission II : The one who speak to the plants, International Light Day, Saison France-Roumanie, Institut Français, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Transmission I : Words of love & wishes for the world, Institut Français, Bucharest, Romania
Collective exhibitions 1994