Françoise CATALAA

Françoise Catalàa is a French contemporary artist.

She began studyin Fine Arts in Bordeaux in 1971 at the age of 27 and learned metalworking at work. Graduated in 1975, her professors having valued the monumental side of her work made her participate in architectural competitions. She won a competition organized by the cultural manager of Aquitaine, Gilberte Martin-Méry, who will always follow her work.

Françoise Catalàa found her idea-force within her first month while studying Fine Arts in Bordeaux : man being ‘on the march’ from his birth until his death, it is the form of the journey that best signify this temporal quest of questioning. A sculpture is in seven elements, a journey in seven stages. Series of numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 in 5300 ancient and contemporary languages for the TIME dilated when it is lived with passion.

8 interventions and urban projects, 17 realizations and monumental projects, numerous commissions for individuals.

She has made 4 films to develop her research on time through 'installations'.

Françoise Catalàa was selected as a teacher at the Paris Fine Arts School in 1984 for the Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture, where she practiced for 25 years. In her courses, she developed the transversality of knowledge: arts, philosophies, sciences, time, art and city, etc. Three of her students finished first in a competition organized for the 5000 candidates of the fifth years of the European schools of architecture. She is involved in a 5-year postgraduate course for doctoral students in India. Françoise Catalàa will be a lecturer at ICART (Institut supérieur des carrières artistiques). In 2000, she was associated with the mission "Artistic Education and Cultural Action" of the Minister of National Education Jack Lang.

Visiting professor in universities in France: Sorbonne, UNESCO, where Françoise Catalàa is part of the research group "Habiter 2" on public space, in the 'Network of architectural research' based at the school of architecture Paris-La Villette, in the research group on "The emerging city" at La Défense, and abroad: Tsinghua University in Beijing, Shenzhen University in China, San Francisco (USA), etc.

Invited for personal exhibitions in France: Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux, and in Paris: Dutch Institute, Korean Cultural Center, Hungarian Institute, Fornay Library, Cultural Affairs of Suresnes, Blanc-Mesnil, Clamart, Toulouse, as well as internationally, French Embassy, French cultural institutes and Alliances françaises: Casa do Infante Porto Museum in Portugal, in Poland, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pondicherry, New Delhi in India, Johannesburg in South Africa, etc.

Numerous critics and philosophers have written about her work for some twenty catalogues. Françoise Catalàa has received support from the Ministry of Culture, Office of Architectural and Urban Research for the publication of two books: "Catalàa libre parcours" essay, interviews with the philosopher Dolf van Schyndel, Thalia ed. 2007 (in English 2020) "Jaipur ville nouvelle du XVIII siècle au Rajasthan", with 2 other authors, Thaliz ed. 2007 (in English 2020 Altrim Publishers Chandigarh). Other books: Interviews with Pierre Restany, Le livre aux éclairs. Articles for the books tribute to Daniel Charles (direction Marta Garbocz, Hermann, ed.), to Ervin Patkai, (direction Péter Bakay, Hungary 2013), and "Penser la ville de demain" (direction Cynthia Ghorra-Gobin, l'Harmattan ed.).

Three contemporary composers have dedicated a work to her: F.B. Mâche " L'Estuaire du temps " a half-hour composition for 98-member orchestra and sampler (1993), F. Vandenbogaerde " Coatepec " 1992 and " Paix " 1994, and Y. Taira " Paix ".

Honors received by Françoise Catalàa:

2014: Medal of Arts awarded by the Academy of Architecture.

2005: Académie des Beaux-Arts, Institut de France, Prize 'La bourse d'études en sculpture' for the research work '1234567-installations tissus chiffrés et vidéos', always current.