"Les Mots c'est la vie": Ben takes over the Cité

Known throughout the world for his white words set against a black background – slogans that have stood the test of time – the artist Ben Vautier, better known as Ben, takes over the Cité. His words, his gestures, his languages – of poetry, quotations and regional dialects – permeate every space within the monument, exploring how the artist has transformed language into an artistic and playful medium.

True to the spirit of Fluxus – the artistic, social and political movement which, from the 1960s onwards, blurred the boundaries between art, gesture and everyday life – Ben transforms words into actions, images, questions and philosophical reflections. From the courtyard of the Offices to the chapel, via the exhibition spaces, visitors journey through half a century of his work – popular, historic and still very much of the moment. The very same handwriting that has adorned the school stationery of several generations is splashed across the walls, taking visitors by surprise as they round a corner.

Along the way, banners, neon signs, posters, sculptures and installations punctuate a journey in which Ben’s works convey the message that ‘to write is to paint words’. In this venue, symbolic of the history and uses of language, the exhibition reveals that, for Ben, words served not only to communicate, but to exist.

Curated by Eva Vautier, the exhibition aims to showcase Ben’s prolific body of work across its four galleries. For over sixty years, writing remained at the heart of his work, expressed through a rich and varied body of work: performances, sculptures, theory, politics, publications, installations, films and poetry. Ben leaves behind a steadfast conviction: words are not merely for communication; they provoke, question, unsettle and liberate.

Room 1 | Appropriations, gestures, writings

From the late 1950s onwards, the artist asserted that anything can become art once it has been chosen, named or signed by the artist. Everyday objects, abstract concepts, simple actions or written words thus become works of art in their own right.

Room 2 | Writing Becomes Painting

In these ‘writings’, the word takes the place of the image. Painted in white acrylic on a black background, these phrases are no longer merely to be read: they are works to be looked at. To write is to paint words; ‘Word’ or ‘Painting’ — the titles themselves pose the equation. The word becomes matter, surface, visual rhythm.

Room 3 | Truth, Doubt, Contradictions

At the heart of the exhibition, Ben Vautier opens up a space for doubt and questioning. The painting *I Love the Truth* ( 1996) affirms a direct attachment — a declaration he has repeated throughout his life. Echoing this, *Centre mondial du questionnement* ( 2016) takes the opposite stance: with Ben, one never makes a claim without immediately putting it to the test.

Room 4 | Languages, peoples, identities

Here, Ben Vautier explores the link between language, culture and identity — a subject at the heart of the Cité internationale de la langue française’s mission. His works give a voice to several so-called minority languages. For him, every language is a worldview; to lose one is to lose a way of being.

Would you like to find out more about Ben? Join one of the events organised to accompany the exhibition! 

• Guided tours (in French): Saturday 19 December, 2 January, 30 January and 6 March at 2.30 pm Information and booking
• Family tours (ages 9 and over, in French): Saturdays 26 December and 27 February at 2.30 pm Information and bookings