> History> 16, rue de la Liberté> Exhibitions 2001- 2004
> People Behind It



café au lit has existed in Paris since August 2001. In its first years the project consisted of a guest room and exhibition space in the private Parisian apartment of Jens Emil Sennewald & Andrea Weisbrod. Exhibitions of contemporary art were shown twice a year from August, 2001 until May, 2004. With each exhibition the living room, hallway and guest room were transformed into an exhibition space which could be viewed by appointment. At the end of each three-week exhibition, some of the artwork stayed up for an additional four to five months in the guest room. During that time it could only be viewed by guests who had booked the café au lit guest room and - hence the name - got breakfast served to them each morning.

As second episode of the "café au lit"-project, a new art venue, distinct from the original apartment, opened its doors Mai 21st 2005. Created by architect Didier Fiuza Faustino this new concept merged spaces for habitation and exhibition.
Located in the east of Paris, which has in recent years become a full-fledged art scene on account of such sophisticated venues as Le Plateau ou des galeries comme Jocelyn Wolff, Cosmic, Gaudel de Stampa or Castillo/Corrales, café au lit showcased current artwork in a contemporary designed studio apartment. Architect Didier Fiuza Faustino has found a unique solution combining both public and private spaces in this 27-square-meter apartment in the quiet "Quartier Mouzaia".

The studio apartment at 16 rue de la Liberté

The apartment "café au lit" was for rent (from one week to several months) for a comfortable stay within close range of central Paris. The offer was extended to all art-minded travelers such as gallerists, curators, museum directors, artists and art-lovers. Be it to visit the International Photo Salon "Paris Photo", the Paris International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC), or in preparation for an exhibition - café au lit was both a place to which one can retreat as well as a place to meet with colleagues.
Young contemporary artists work has been shown in the apartment in regular intervals (roughly every five months). During openings and closings café au lit transformed for the evening into a public space. This provided not only for the viewing of the artwork but also for exchange among players in the Paris art world. Afterwards, for the duration of the exhibition, only apartment guests had the pleasure of living - like a collector - in an intimate tête à tête with the artwork.

Sylvia Bataille:
restoroute, April 2002

Frauke Hänke, Claus Kienle:
faites vos jeux, September 2002

Corina Bezzola:
Salon (nouveaux travaux), April 2003

Stéphane Belzère:
conserves peintes, November 2003

DRONE (Philippe Zulaica,
Aurore Dudevant):
paysages larvés, April 2004

With a total of five exhibitions café au lit presented emerging perspectives on painting and photography in France, Switzerland and Germany. The series began with the urban paintings of Parisian artist Sylvia Bataille, followed by the gum prints of the hamburg artist-couple Frauke Hänke and Claus Kienle, photographs by Swiss artist Corina Bezzola and paintings by Parisian artist Stéphane Belzère. . In April, 2004, the series came to a close with the photographs of architect and artist Aurore Dudevant and Philippe Zulaica < http://digitalbiotope.com>. Past exhibitions and openings are documented at cafeaulit.de/retro.

café au lit is owned and operated by: weiswald / Dr. Jens Emil Sennewald (art critic, literary scholar, freelance journalist) & Dr. Andrea Weisbrod (historian, freelance journalist, author). Apart from numerous publications in the academic/artistic field, literary scholar Jens E. Sennewald, Ph.D., has written since 1989 for various german language newspapers and magazines, primarily about contemporary art. Experiences in the art world and realization of various performances and art projects in Hamburg have found continuation in current projects, including the completion of a European yearbook with the title “arts et sciences en recherche transversale Erkundungen in Kunst und Wissenschaft”.
Weisbrod and Sennewald have worked jointly since 1995 as "weiswald". Most recently they founded the copy-writing agency "texte&tendenzen" together. Historian Andrea Weisbrod, Ph.D., has published regular articles dealing with gender studies, contemporary art, culinary arts, design and urban living since 1994. She also realized various art projects in Hamburg before moving to Paris and dedicating herself mostly to publishing on the subjects of culture and travel and working as an historical consultant and producer for documentary productions. She is currently writing her first novel.