The Center Pompidou presents Cosmopolis #1, a unique platform for exploring artistic practices. Cosmopolis #1 highlights collaborative practices and artists' collectives, particularly in the artistic scenes of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Gardner's work is included in the research project Against Nature being presented by Council. Founded in Paris in 2013 by Grégory Castéra and Sandra Terdjman, Council brings together different collaborators and forms of knowledge — including arts, science, and civic culture — to foster new understandings of social issues through the production of works and an international program of exhibitions, conferences, and publications. For Cosmopolis #1, Council presents The Against Nature Journal, a project focused on the legal interpretation of the concept of ‘nature’, still widely used to criminalize sexual orientation or regulate individual freedoms and impose norms. The inspiration of the journal dates from 2009 when the Lebanese judge Mounir Souleiman studied the legal basis for an arrest for ‘acts against nature’. His verdict in the case proposes a philosophical and poetic interpretation of nature that confirms the hypothesis that new tools are needed to interpret this protean concept. Building on the work of Mounir Souleiman and of the Lebanese NGO Legal Agenda, Council initiated their research project in 2013 in collaboration with the Ashkal Alwan art centre in Beirut. Developed with Aimar Arriola (chief editor) and Julie Peeters (designer), The Against Nature Journal is the result of this research and brings together professionals working at the crossroads of law, humanities, arts, and activism.

Read more on the Centre Pompidou website.

See Interview with Council about their project, Against Nature, and the role of Joscelyn Gardner's work in that project. View Here.

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