An Paenhuysen – Département de Filliousophie, 2026

An Paenhuysen’s Département de Filliousophie (Department of Filliousophy) is inspired by Robert Filliou’s proposition that art is what makes life more interesting than art. Moving between the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon (Ensba) and the Biennale de Lyon, it leaves the roles of student, teacher, artist and non-artist deliberately open. Sofas replace desks, creating an informal setting for workshops, conversation and the creative use of leisure. Across four modules, Paenhuysen invites guest conductors Charlotte Dualé, Michal B. Ron, Benedetta Castrioto and Greta Casà to join her in exploring essential elements of Filliou’s Poetical Economy: the Principle of Equivalence, the Birthday of Art, the Galerie Légitime and the Eternal Network. Together, these ideas propose forms of value grounded in relation, imagination and exchange rather than conventional measures of success. Activities develop through collaboration and experiment, while DIY publications document the project as it unfolds. A Favourite Visitors Section welcomes brief, unexpected encounters. The department’s guiding principle is simple: to come together and see what happens.

An Paenhuysen is an art historian, professor and curator. Her research focuses on collective forms of artistic creation, as well as the notions of the instantaneous, ephemerality, flashes of insight and instinctive associations. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the cultural critique of the Belgian artistic avant-garde. Among other projects, An Paenhuysen has developed collective events and curatorial formats with and in the spirit of Robert Filliou’s practice.