“La Biennale de Momon is a project that reflects upon the mutations and changes over time and space at the small village of Maumont, in the southeast of France. Momon attempts to understand the loss of past atmospheres, local existences, and those brought to transform if because of abandonment, globalization and the multiple exodus.” -Umbigo, 2021

La Biennale de Momon was a project initiated by the Dutch artist Frans van Lent. The name derives from the old name of a small village in the southeast of France and stands for a space of nostalgia.

The village of Maumont set the scene, though only in spirit. Most of the nine participating artists only saw pictures and videos of the village, could only stroll through the village on maps. The idea was for these artists to enter this space caught in-between change and memories, to look for its mutations, abandonment, but to leave without a trace.

The challenge was to capture this boundless place and make a home for the artworks. The virtual space was chosen as a medium as it is just as heterotopic as the idea of the biennale. momon.fr became this space in-between.

The design was inspired by dusk, the brink of change, and the many eerily beautiful, sunken paths in France that appear during draught. In the sky the artworks look down on the visitor as orange planets inviting them to see the artist’s final interpretation in a shared cosmos.