Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire, Paris, France

In The Exception and the Rule (1930), author and dramatist Bertolt Brecht writes: “Observe the conduct of these people closely: find it estranging even if not very strange, hard to explain even if it is the custom, hard to understand even if it is the rule.” Paulien Oltheten’s photos, performances, and videos explore what is common and extraordinary about human behavior in public places. She goes to parks, plazas, and the streets of big cities for direct observation, finding unique activity, repetitive gestures, odd objects, or design elements there. She then connects these events, creating a narrative formalized in words, and still and moving images. Straddling fiction and documentary, found objects and found characters are staged, with a solid dose of humor, to reveal the links between things and human behavior.
Marta Ponsa

Winner of the New Discovery Award 2018