Gros problème

Screening of the mini-series “Gros Problème” by Pauline Ghersi followed by a discussion with the artist and Katia Porro, director of In extenso
Monday, May 12, 2025, from 7:30 PM
In the theatre of the Lieu-Dit
10 rue Fontgiève
63000 Clermont-Ferrand

Free admission

“Gros Problème” [Big Problem] is a parody of the contemporary art world:
“It’s the first day of the Female Artist’s residency at Glassdoor, a small art space run by Laura, an ambitious director who champions horizontal management and leads a team juggling side jobs, thankless chores, and professional ambitions. On paper, the curation of exhibitions, administrative tasks, and logistics are evenly distributed among all members of the association. In reality, it’s a bit more complicated… The arrival of Kalle, a trendy German artist and recipient of a generous grant, is not likely to ease the already chaotic team dynamics.”

About the artist: 

Through video, sculpture, and performance, Pauline Ghersi explores issues related to popular culture, economics, and power dynamics.

In her filmed or performed narratives, she stages characters in crisis, evolving in precarious and discomforting situations. Her approach to video sits somewhere between cringe and realism: with a gaze that is both critical and empathetic, she questions the limits of what is tolerable, addressing themes such as cancel culture, institutional authority, and toxic relationships.

Her sculptural practice, on the other hand, examines our ambivalent relationship with consumption. By repurposing materials from the food industry and marketing, she sets up a mechanism of desire between the viewer and the object—a desire that remains unstable, undermined by deliberately rigid and awkward forms that replay the illusion of material comfort.

A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in 2017, Pauline Ghersi develops an artistic practice encompassing films, video installations, sculptures, and performances.

Her work has been shown at venues including Confort Moderne in Poitiers, Lieu-Dit in Clermont-Ferrand, Art-O-Rama in Marseille, Secession in Vienna, Glassbox in Paris, Rond-Point Projects in Marseille, CAC Passerelle in Brest, Ravisius Textor in Nevers, Etablissement d’en Face in Brussels, Crac Alsace, La Compagnie and Catherine Bastide Projects in Marseille, Soej Kritik in Leipzig, and Villa Belleville in Paris.

She has participated in residencies at various institutions, including Triangle – Astérides in Marseille (2017), FRAC Champagne-Ardenne in Reims (2018–19), Fugitif in Leipzig, Mayotte as part of Création en Cours led by Ateliers Médicis (2021), Setu in Elliant (2023), and Les Capucins in Embrun (2025).In 2021, she received support from Mécènes du Sud, who awarded her the Coup de Cœur Prize for her project Corinne, Gilles, Ber et Georges (2022). In 2022, she was awarded a grant from the Fondation des Artistes for her series project Gros Problème (2023). She is currently working on a new film project supported by the DRAC Île-de-France.