Bozar all over the P(a)lace - Nocturne

Step into John Baldessari’s ironic universe with Bozar’s first Nocturne of the 25–26 season, roaming every corner of the palace. Yet the epicentre remains the iconic Horta Hall, newly reimagined by Michel François’s immersive installation. From there, drift into Baldessari’s exhibition – playful collisions of photo, text and video sparking fresh perspectives.

In direct resonance with his conceptual gestures, composer‑producer Christian Löffel performs John Baldessari sings Sol Lewitt:

“Hello, my name is Christian Löffel. I’d like to sing for you today the sentences that John Baldessari once sang taken from Sol LeWitt’s writing on conceptual art. I feel this is a tribute to him, to John Baldessari, in that I think these melodies deserve to be presented to a live audience in the way he interpreted them. Originally he recorded these melodies alone, on video. I’ll follow his intonation and rhythm as precisely as possible. Each microtonal slip, pause, or stutter will be replicated. I do not have perfect pitch so occasionally I will need to use a tuning fork to find the beginning of a melody.”

In the Suzanne Bertouille Rotunda, five dancers choreographed by Danish artist Esben Weile Kjær blur ritual, ’90s pop and club culture. For a more intimate finale, slip into The 23 cinema for a programme of Baldessari‑inspired shorts.

Programme

Exhibitions
18:00 → 00:00 Immersive installation by Michel François

• Location: Horta Hall

18:00 → 23:30 Visit the exhibition John Baldessari. Parables, Fables and Other Tall Tales
19:00 → 21:00 Standing Guides in the John Baldessari exhibition

Performances
19:00 → 23:00 Esben Weile Kjær performs NOWHERE with Johan Bech, Ezra Shami, Camilla Lind, Tobias Juul

• Location: Suzanne Bertouille Rotunda

19:00 + 20:00 + 21:00 + 22:00 Christian Löffel performs John Baldessari Sings Sol LeWitt

• Location: John Baldessari exhibition halls

Films
18:00 → 23:30 Screenings:
Jason Schwartzman Celebrates John Baldessari for Pacific Standard Time by Jesse Dylan, 2011
A Brief History of John Baldessari by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman, 2012
The Simpsons: “3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage” (Season 29, Episode 13) by Matthew Nastuk, 2018

• Location: The 23