Until September 22nd the visitors of Dom Bretanii in Poznan can see an exhibition “Sad Paradise. Jack Kerouac’s Last Road”. It’s a collection of René Tanguy’s photographs that portray the links between Jack Kerouac and Brittany, a region in France where his ancestors were from.
René Tanguy was born in 1955 in Brittany, France. He studied photography at a university at Marseille, and later put out a few exhibitions such as “L’ étranger provisoire” (displayed at Gallery Demi-Teinte in Brest in 1998), “Mois européen de la photographie” in Paris in 2006 and “Du monde vers le monde, escale à Valparaiso.” at the Festival of Marine Photography in Vannes. His works often focus on naval life: the sea, sailors and marine creatures. The exposition “Sad Paradise. Jack Kerouac’s Last Road” is rather a step out of his comfort zone.
The exhibition was inspired by the letters between Kerouac and Youeen Gwerning (poet and musician from Brittany), where they expressed how they miss Brittany. René Tanguy decided to follow this trope and for 6 years he explored the links between the author and Brittany. Its name comes from a poem that Allen Ginsberg – a poet and one of the founders of the Beat Generation – has given to Jack Kerouc before his journey through the U.S.
The collection “Sad Paradise. Jack Kerouac’s Last Road” consists of photos of cities, houses and nature in Brittany, but also people and trinkets related to Jack Kerouac. One of them is a picture of the talismans of David Arman, a musician and friend of Jack’s. The collection has been presented in museums in Brittany, including Brest and Vannes. This year, it arrived at Dom Bretanii (Brittany House) in Poznan.
The exhibition was opened for the Days of French Culture and Francophonie: France/USA which focused on the links between the two countries. The vernissage took place on April 6th and is available until September 22nd. The entry is free.
You can see Rene Tanguy’s photography on his website.