Located on 130 acres in the Emporta region of Catalonia is the Terra Remota Vineyard. In addition to the promise of wine tasting and visiting the grounds, Terra Remota has also become a haven for site-specific art exhibitions and architectural gems. Opening next week is one of Terra Remota’s most ambitious exhibitions, a 1972 modernist structure that looks like it landed from outer space. Inside is an exhibition of ceramics curated specifically for this unusual venue.

Clement Cividino and Mélissa Paul

Inside Chalet Nova

This is the fifth architectural intervention in the vineyard by young French design dealer Clément Cividino, who specializes in architecture, more specifically, prefabricated structures from the ’60s and ’70s. He landed in Perpignan and set up his gallery there in 2013, in what else but a converted convent. Aided by the younger and very clever art dealer Mélissa Paul—whom he met on Instagram—Cividino has put together a joint art exhibit remotely, and the two are now taking their show on the road in the New Year.

It all started a few years ago with that fateful Instagram rendezvous. Paul explains, “It’s a pretty funny story. We had been following each other on social media, and at the time, I was doing an exhibition in Paris and Clément contacted me to say he was preparing a show with his house and he liked what I was doing. It felt organic and that we were both doing similar things, so we continued to speak a lot on the phone. We only met in person three months ago!”

Paul, who started out in her 20s, shares, “I started working with Yves Gastou”—one of the great Parisian dealers in 20th-century art and design, now deceased. “Yves found me at the Paris Flea Market, where I had a stand, and said we should work together. I was 25.” Paul now has her gallery based in Nice, opened in 2018, where she showcases postwar design and a passion for ceramics. So, when Cividino approached her about doing a collaboration set in one of his prefabricated architectural structures, she jumped at the offer.

Chalet Nova with its debut exhibition within.

The two decided on an ephemeral, mobile exhibition, featuring two artists who work in ceramics: the accomplished French sculptor Guy Bareff, and the young French-Dutch artist Elsa Oudshoorn. Although perhaps a surprising pairing, separated by more than a generation in age, the two had collaborated in the past, and their sculptural works complement and support one another. “They already knew each other,” Paul explains. “They live in the same region of France and they have a common collector. I think their pieces work well together and I like this work between generations.”

Cividino supplied the space, an architectural gem built in 1972 called Chalet Nova. Originally conceived by a firm called Rochel, the chalet was intended to serve as holiday bungalows in the center of France. At approximately 538 square feet with a 215-square-foot terrace, the steel, aluminum, and Lucite building is modernistic and otherworldly in feel. Cividino loves this region and explains, “Access is easy. The airports are Barcelona and Perpignan and it’s a day trip from Paris. And there’s lots to explore and do around here, exploring and of course wine tasting.”

Works by Guy Bareff and Elsa Oudshoorn.

A resting spot at Chalet Nova.

The Chalet Nova is open to the public beginning this week with groups of six visitors allowed entry upon prior booking. At the moment, the idea is to keep the exhibition open until the spring and then pack it up and take the show on the road; the next stop for the little house will be in Paris during FIAC week. Cividino explains, “These structures take up a lot of time and space. I have to find them, restore them, store them, et cetera. I manage to do one big project like this a year. I will continue to collaborate and show with Mélissa, of course.”

Paul also has upcoming plans for the important FIAC week in Paris. She will rent a gallery for the month and put on a show of these same two artists, but with new work. “I am also organizing another show, but all will depend on how the current situation involves in terms of timing and dates.”

Chalet Nova features contemplative indoor and outdoor spaces.

When asked where he finds these microstructures, Cividino says he is always looking, 24/7. He knew the Chalet Nova existed and just had to track it down. Sometimes he sees things in archival documents, photos, and vintage magazines, but this one—he says he found it on a postcard!

To book a visit, contact:

Mélissa Paul: contact@galerie-melissa-paulom

Clément Cividino: clementcividino@gmailom

httpslementcividinoom/

http://www.galerie-melissa-paulom/