Virginie Sommet

2011-01-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

Opening Reception: URBAN NATURE

2010-10-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception:
URBAN NATURE
Photographs by Virginie Sommet

69 Photographs
October 16, 2010 6pm-8pm
Collective Gallery 173-171 Canal Street, NY 5th Fl

Between Mott and Elizabeth Street

646.245.6072

the unadorned book AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

2009-11-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009

Author Interview - Virginie Sommet

Today we have the author of ONLY IN NEW YORK DARLING, Virginie Sommet. Sommet is an artist who expresses her creativity in many forms. Her novel, written in diary style, is an intimate look at New York City and all its idiosyncrasies. Sommet was born in France, but fell in love with New York. Through ONLY IN NEW YORK DARLING she hopes to share her the beauty of New York through a fresh set of eyes.

UB: Please, tell us a little about yourself.
VS: I am born in France in a very conservative family (very waspy) in Normandy.
I studied Art and lived in Paris before I moved to New York 10 years ago.
I came alone and found New York sweat and bitter at the same time.
I had the chance to participate in an Art/Exchange program between the University of Paris 8 and Hunter College New York (Art ).

When 9/11 happened I was in Paris but when I came back on September 19. I felt so hurt that we attacked Manhattan that I wanted to share my city fascination with others by starting to write the book "Only in New York, Darling!"

UB: Thank you for your support. It was a sad, tragic day for America and we greatly appreciated the outpouring of love, and still do! Your book, "ONLY IN NEW YORK, DARLING!", is about a French girl who comes to New York and tries to make it as an artist. Is this autobiographical?
VS: The three first chapters are autobiographical. It is my departure from Paris going to New York. At the beginning I hold the hand of the reader but after that I leave him alone in New York. and he will take some slaps in the face as I took them.

There are some interviews of many different kinds of people that I met in New York. Also, some chapters about the laundry, parties, art openings and racism in the city…and many more…

It is New York through the eyes of a creative French immigrant point of view.

UB: Why did you feel this story should be told?
VS: I came in New York with a lot of prejudices, principles and assurances from my country, thinking that I knew everything better than anyone else. This is how we have been educated in France. Being in New York just destroyed many of prejudices because you meet so many different people in the city that it breaks them.
So I wanted to share this "breaking -experience" with French people who perhaps would never go to New York and never get the chance to experience that.
For the Americans, it could be interesting to have a new look at the city, kind of a new perspective...a fresh one.... from another pair of eyes.

UB: I am in love with France. Ever since my 2005 2 week vacation to St. Thibery I've been planning on retiring to France. What do you love about your birth country?
VS: My birth country gave me the taste of reading books and enjoying conversation about politics, philosophy, sociology... also discipline about food and not wasting anything.

Unfortunately, it gave me also culpability, low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Fortunately, America corrected those after 10 years!

UB: What do you love about America? And what was your biggest culture shock?
VS: Manhattan is in the extreme for everything. It can be super great and later a real nightmare. This was very surprising for me compared to the consistency of Paris.

Also, I was shocked at how nice and helpful the New Yorkers were compared to the French people. Right away, I felt at ease in the city, like home, and very safe.
Also, the feeling of openness and opportunities in everything: meeting many different kinds of people, having many different jobs, being supported and encouraged by people that you just met. What I really love about America is this amazing positive energy and open mind, which blows me away...... every day….

UB: Aside from writing, do you have any other hobbies?
VS: I do not consider writing a "Hobby", but an extension of my creative work.
I do installations, collages, mixed media, photography and writing. I am a multi disciplinary creative person.

This book is like an "Artist Book" where you have my sculptures in words and all the subjects that I touch upon in my aesthetic work .

UB: What's next for you?
VS: To keep creating new pieces and make cracks in the certitude of people and make them realize things they would never think before.

They are so much into the TV, Sex in the City, shopping, magazines, society of consumption, newspapers to really think by themselves. Artist can be there to help “delobotomize them”.

UB: Where can my readers go to learn more about you or purchase your book?
VS: If you type my first and last name(virginie sommet) on google you will find around 16 pages about my work and the book.

Also my website is virginiesommet.com where you can read my blog, buy the book, see my work and the press articles about it.

My book can be purchased on my website, on amazon.com and on lulu.com

SHERRIESBOOKS.BLOGSPOT.COM - REVIEW

2009-11-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2009/11/review-only-in-new-york-darling.html

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009

I got an email asking if I would review this books.

My name is Florencia and I am Virginie Sommet's assistant and she is the author of "Only in New York, Darling!". I am writing on her behalf to inquire about getting her book reviewed on your blog. I was referred to you through J. Kaye’s Book Blog that kindly sent me a list of bloggers interested in reviewing books.
"Only in New York, Darling! " a book that serves as a "log book" but is also a look into the life of a underground french artist moving to New York and how she experiences the city. The book also includes illustrations and interviews.

# Paperback: 292 pages
# Publisher: Lulu.com (September 8, 2008)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1435711009
# ISBN-13: 978-1435711006

Product Description
(Amazon. Com)
**English version** Edgier than the Lonely Planet, hipper than the Village Voice, more intellectual than the New York Times... I've found my Bible to carry me through the funkiest city on the planet! A trippy "logbook" written by a French girl from Normandy landing in Manhattan and slowly making it on her own as an uderground artist, this chronicle plunged me into the maze of New York City's daily life, its pleasures, risks, hassles, encounters and wonders. The language is incomparable, the narration fluid, the tone incisive, at times hilarious, and at times intimate and moving. Reflection of the New Yorkers'psychology, the necessary melting pot of cultures, and the virtues of immigration. The question of identity is featured at he heart of the rhetoric developped. It is New York that possesses us, never the opposite! The writer, she knows it by heart! Bravo! Catherine Vachon

MY THOUGHTS: This was a very interesting book. Full of the insights of a French girl's visit to New York that turns into her living there. The book is written in log or diary form. There are interviews with people, poems and illustrations. It is sometimes funny and sometimes very truthful as to what is happening and going on in this girl's life.

MY RATING: 5

Review / article Ashley Horsefall (7/09)

2009-07-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Only in New York, Darling! is the story of a French artist who moves to New York and experiences the city firsthand. The author talks about what it means for them to have been in New York and makes many comparisons between New York and France. Some of my favorite sections were "Thoughts on Tourists" and "The Laundry".
Most of all, I enjoyed reading the interviews. They gave me a lot of insight into transsexual experiences, prostitution, and sex in general. I found myself being very interested in these stories. There were also some very interesting thoughts on racism in the city.
I really like the artwork in the book. Some were cute, some were serious, and some were edgy. It really adds some extra personality to the work. The whole tone of the book is easygoing and casual. It was easy to read and it felt like I was talking to a good friend about their experiences. You can definitely catch a glimpse of the author's personality through reading the book.
There were some grammar issues with the book. I do believe that the book may have been translated by somebody other than the writer, so that may be where those have come from. Either way, I didn't find them too distracting to enjoy reading the book. I also do believe that the work could be organized in a more effective manner, but I found it to be satisfying nevertheless.
There were some really great quotes I discovered in the book:
* "Sometimes it's more constructive to ignore than to endure." (p. 14)
* "The city is a bittersweet drug." (p. 101)
If you read the book you might also be fascinated by some of the poems. My favorite was "Bicycle of Love" on page 141. I thought it really summed up a lot of the story. "Sadness" on page 170 is another great poem.
I would recommend this book to people with similar experiences - people who are new to the city or have moved to a new place. I also think that anybody who likes reading about New York and city life will enjoy reading this book.

Only in New York, Darling ! c’est l’histoire d’une artiste française qui déménage à New York et fait l’expérience de la ville. L’auteur raconte ce que signifie pour elle le fait de se retrouver à New York et fait beaucoup de comparaisons entre New York et la France. Mes chapitres favoris sont « Petite pensée sur les touristes » et « La lessive ».
Plus que tout, j’ai adoré lire les interviews. Elles m’ont donné de nombreux aperçus de l’expérience transsexuelle, de la prostitution et du sexe en général. Je me suis surprise à être très intéressée par ces histoires. Il y a aussi des réflexions intéressantes sur le racisme dans la ville.
J’aime beaucoup le travail artistique du livre. Certaines illustrations sont enfantines, certaines matures et d’autres engagées. Cela donne une grande personnalité à son travail. L’écriture est souple et décontractée, le livre est facile à lire et donne l’impression de parler avec un bon ami de ses expériences. On peut sans aucun doute entrevoir la personnalité de l’auteur à travers la lecture du livre.
J’ai retenu de ce livre quelques excellentes citations :
* “Parfois il est plus constructif d’ignorer que de subir. Laissons croire aux gens qu’ils sont supportables.” (page 12)
* “La violence urbaine est à la fois sucrée et amère. » (page 100)
Si vous lisez le livre, vous serez également fascinés par certains de ces textes urbains. Mon préféré est “Vélo d’amour” (page 137). Je pense qu’il résume en grande partie l’histoire. “Tristesse” (page 164) est également excellent.
Je recommande ce livre aux personnes qui ont vécu, vivent ou s’apprêtent à vivre une expérience similaire ; les gens qui viennent d’arriver dans la ville ou qui ont déménagé dans un nouvel endroit. Je pense aussi que toute personne qui aime lire à propos de New York et de la vie en métropole adorerait ce livre.

Here is my book "Only in New York, Darling !" in English / Voici mon livre "Only in New York, Darling" en français aussi !!

2009-07-10T14:09:00.001-07:00

Back cover of the book / Quatrième de couverture du livre

2009-07-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Edgier than the Lonely Planet, hipper than the Village Voice, more intellectual than the New York Times…I’ve found my Bible to carry me through the funkiest city on the planet!
A trippy “log book” written by a French girl from Normandy landing in Manhattan and slowly making it on her own as an underground artist, this chronicle plunged me into the maze of New York City’s daily life, its pleasures, risks, hassles, encounters, and wonders.
The language is incomparable, the narration fluid, the tone incisive, at times hilarious, and at times intimate and moving. This is the art of Virginie Sommet: here is a woman that we would love to know and with whom we dream of meandering through the streets of the Bronx!
But beyond a fantastic adventure in the author’s universe, this work offers most of all a brilliant reflection of the New-Yorkers’ psychology, the necessary melting pot of cultures, and the virtues of immigration. Here, nothing is politically correct. The question of identity is featured at the heart of the rhetoric developed by Virginie Sommet, a woman of combat and conviction who has had the good idea to illustrate her point with powerful portraits of atypical personalities who belong to New York as their only commonality. For it is New York that possesses us, never the opposite! The writer, she knows it by heart. Bravo!

Plus pointu que le Lonely Planet, plus hype que le Village Voice, plus intello que le NY Times : j’ai trouvé ma Bible pour sillonner la ville la plus funky du globe !
« Carnet de bord » halluciné d’une Normande débarquant à Manhattan et y faisant peu à peu son trou comme artiste underground, cette chronique m’a plongée dans les méandres du quotidien à New York City, ses plaisirs, ses risques, ses galères, ses rencontres et ses grands émerveillements.
La langue est incomparable, la lecture fluide, le ton incisif, tantôt drôle, tantôt intimiste et touchant. C'est tout l'art de Virginie Sommet: voilà une femme qu’on aimerait connaître et avec laquelle on rêverait d’arpenter les rues du Bronx !
Mais au-delà d’une aventure rocambolesque dans l’univers de l’auteure, cet ouvrage offre surtout une réflexion brillante sur la psychologie des New-Yorkais, le nécessaire assemblage des cultures ou les vertus de l’immigration. Ici, rien de politiquement correct. La question de l’identité figure au cœur de la rhétorique développée par Virginie Sommet, femme de combat et de conviction qui a eu la bonne idée d’illustrer ses propos par des portraits percutants de personnalités atypiques, ayant pour seul point commun d’appartenir à New York. Car c’est New York qui nous possède, et jamais l’inverse ! L’écrivaine, elle, le sait par cœur. Bravo.

Catherine Vachon

This is me on my bicycle ! / Moi sur ma bicyclette !

2009-07-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Annie David's litterary column / Chronique littéraire d'Annie David

2009-07-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

Virginie the inimitable
"Only in New York, Darling!" is the autobiographical story of an artist who set up in New York.
Lovely while realistic and bizarre, full of drawings, this book is inimitable. Readers have been attracted by the perspective of an artist in the Big Apple, but how to put an apple in a rectangular box? Virginie’s Big Apple is precisely out of the beaten paths: by the style - pragmatic, poetic, artistic, by the form - travel story, guide, autobiographical logbook and investigation.
This is what is peculiar about Virginie, she likes to be where we are not supposed to be. Funny, serious, cicada, ant, businesswoman and artist, the multi-talented miss found her public with this book. Virginie Sommet knows how to move us, surprise us, teach us, relate to her and to New York.
Her book in French has sold very well, and the English translation is for sure going to follow the same way.
Virginie is a contemporary artist; she makes installations and jewels, among others.
Her website: http://www.virginiesommet.com/

Virginie l'incasable
"Only in New York, Darling !" est le récit autobiographique et de voyage d'une artiste à New York.
Adorable bien que réaliste et non conventionnel, plein de dessins, ce livre est incasable, disent les éditeurs. Ils sont attirés par ce regard particulier d'une artiste sur la Grosse Pomme, mais comment ranger une pomme dans une boîte rectangulaire ?
La Grosse Pomme de Virginie, elle , est justement hors des sentiers battus. Par le style, pragmatique, poétique, artistique, par la forme, récit de voyage, guide, journal autobiographique, enquête ?
C'est le propre de Virginie d'être où l'on ne l'attend pas. marrante, sérieuse, cigale, fourmi, femme d'affaires et artiste, la Miss aux mille facettes a trouvé son public avec ce livre. Car pousser les murs d'un livre pour s'y installer, c'est bien le moins que l'on attend d'une artiste. Virginie Sommet sait nous émouvoir , nous surprendre, nous apprendre et nous attacher à elle et à New york . Son livre en langue française s'est fort bien vendu, et la traduction anglaise va sans doute suivre le même chemin.
Virginie est artiste contemporaine, elle fait des installations et des bijoux, entre autres.
Son site internet : http://www.virginiesommet.com/

Annie David

Interview on Madmoizelle.com

2009-07-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

The first appointment is made with Virginie Sommet. Set up for more than ten years in the Big Apple, Virginie has become step by step a “real” New Yorker, internalizing American societies codes and reassessing her French believes. She received me at her studio, for the publication of her book “Only in New York, Darling!” In her huge studio in Chinatown, the French sculptor, artist and writer tells me her arrival in New York, her hard times, her outcomes and her advices to reach the American Dream.
madmoiZelle.com: Come back to your arrival here. How did you find yourself in New York?
Virginie Sommet: There are three reasons to my arrival here. First I had a friend who was soaking me with New York. He had never been there but was reading plenty of books. I did not feel attracted at all by this city. I practiced windsurfing board at the time, so I preferred California. The second reason was because I lost my father. I felt like escaping, leaving France. Finally, I had the opportunity to do a university exchange during my artistic studies in Paris 8. Those three reasons together made me come to New York to finish my master in fine arts. New York captivated me. At the end of my school year, I really set up.
madmoiZelle.com: What image of the city did you have before coming?
VS: I was scared, I imagined gangs, weapons, violence. That’s a stereotype but it was in the 90’s. I arrived for the first time for holidays in 1992, it had begun to change but every body in France was telling me: “You’re crazy! You can’t go alone, your going to be attacked or raped!” In short, it was horrible and if I had listened people around me in France, I would have never left.
madmoiZelle.com: Precisely, compared with those images, what are your disappointments and satisfactions?
V.S.: I have more satisfactions than disappointments otherwise I would not have stayed in New York. My disappointments are mainly political and social. Socially, the country is weak and I can’t bear Bush’s politics.
My satisfactions… I think New York is a city whose energy is much more positive than in France. I planned to write a book in France and what I heard in France was “Do you think you are Balzac’s daughter?!” Here, when I talked about this plan, it was the contrary: “That’s great, of course, go for it!” So inevitably, there is a self-belief absolutely different.
Also socially, there is something stimulating; a lot of things are guided by spontaneity. In France, before going to a party, you have to be invited and even when you are, you might stay in a corner. Whereas here, I give you five minutes before someone comes and says “Hi, where do you come from?” A lot of French say Americans are superficial but I don’t call it superficiality, they are friendly, very positive… I am hugely satisfied by this aspect of life.
On one hand it is very easy to live in New York, which at the same time can be misleading because you can find ones self alone very fast.
madmoiZelle.com: Being artist, in what way living here influenced your work?
V.S.: The subject of my master was Emblematic objects of urban minorities in Paris and New York, so I needed to be here. I do installations based on urban environments, so New York is the ideal place to be. Moreover, the minority concept is interesting to work on with the American point of view.
Here, I feel a political responsibility as I upset the apple cart. On the contrary, in France, the minority notion echoes to the idea of a small number. Here, the concept is very pejorative. I am trying to show that it is not because you are part of a minority that you are not educated, ignorant or that you sell drugs or are a prostitute. There are pre-existing ideas in the American culture of the word “minority”. I often say I am a French minority in New York. This tends to shock the Americans because according to them, France is culture, education: it can’t be a minority. So yes, New York influences me and gives me much more political reasons to do my work.
madmoiZelle.com: You say the city gives you political reasons for your works. How do you see the phenomenon Barack Obama ?
V.S.: To be honest, I am so pleased to have the opportunity of being in the United States for the next presidential election. I would love Obama to be a woman, but I think he is an extraordinary man, who managed to move young people who since now ate pop corn and didn’t care about politics. Moreover, as a mixed man, be able to mobilize so many whites in a country marked by 400 years of slavery and which stay yet a racist country, I find this incredible. I even gave money whereas I have never given money to a politician, that is significant!
madmoiZelle.com: In September, you are going to do a solo show called « One is not born a woman, but rather becomes it”. Do you think there is a difference between the New Yorker and the Parisian woman?
V.S.: New York women are very privileged, super educated, they have successfully completed careers. We don’t come to New York to fall in love like in Paris, we come to New York to make a career. Women here are strong… In France, I feel like we are as strong as the “quiche Lorraine”. I exaggerate a little but to speak career with Americans women is completely normal whereas in France we are going to speak about the children. Here, as we are surviving and life is so expensive that, yes we can have children but most of all we have to pay attention to our career because we don’t have the choice.
madmoiZelle.com: If you had to give an advice to someone who would like to set up in New York...
V.S.: First of all, good cheers! You really mustn’t go illegally, without plan everything. It is a lot of work, researches, a lot of perseverance, constancy, discipline. It is not an easy city, you have to know it, there are moments you are crying, and often alone. The dinners three times a week with a friends circle very closed who listen to you complaining, here it doesn’t exist. You will be given one hour maximum. Here you can’t allow yourself being wrong, or you become uninteresting to frequent. Here, everybody has so many problems that if we begin to take others for garbage, we don’t pull through it. It is hard sometimes, but I like this philosophy, it makes you stronger.
madmoiZelle.com: Finally, some questions more personal on your relation to the city. What is your favourite place ?
V.S.: I love Downtown but I love Harlem and I begin to like Brooklyn. From the 14th to Wall Street, this is my district. I am looking for buying towards Clinton Hill in Brooklyn; this is the underground district now! Manhattan is becoming old-fashioned….
madmoiZelle.com: What is the generality people say about New York that gets on your nerves?
V.S.: “oh, I could never live there.” When someone says that to me, and this person gets up at 6 a.m. to visit all museums, standing in lines, taking all buses, it is someone who doesn’t understand New Yorkers don’t do this: we don’t visit three museums a day and we don’t eat on Times Square every midday! This sentence gets on my nerves and affects me directly. When someone criticizes New York, I take it in a very personal way; I love this city so much that it is me who is reached. It is someone who didn’t catch the wealth and the sensibility of the city.
madmoiZelle.com: What is the book or the movie who best represents the New York you are living in?
V.S.: My book, Only in New York, darling, and I don’t say that by marketing interest! There is nothing more representative than it. New York is a city that defied my beliefs and this book is about how I dealt with the difficulties I encountered.
madmoiZelle.com: To finish, in a few words, what is to be a Miss in New York in 2008?
V.S.: It is everything but a Sex and the City’s girl. Marriage values conveyed in the movie are not very present in Misses’ mentality in New York. And look in the street, a Miss in New York is Afro-American, Asian, but not exclusively white. She is also independent and strong.

Premier rendez-vous est pris avec Virginie Sommet. Installée depuis plus de dix ans dans Big Apple, Virginie est devenue progressivement une "vraie" New-Yorkaise, intériorisant les codes de la société américaine et remettant en question ses certitudes françaises. A l'occasion de la sortie de son livre Only in New York Darling, elle m'accueille chez elle.
Dans son immense atelier qui surplombe Chinatown, la sculptrice, plasticienne et écrivaine française me raconte son arrivée ici, ses galères, ses aboutissements et ses conseils pour toucher l'American Dream.
madmoiZelle.com : Revenons sur ton arrivée ici. Comment t'es-tu retrouvée à New York ?
Virginie Sommet : Il y a trois raisons à mon arrivée ici. D'abord, j'avais un ami qui, à l'époque, me saoulait avec New York. Il n'y était jamais allé, mais il lisait plein de livres, il m'en parlait tout le temps. Moi, j'étais pas du tout attirée par cette ville. Je faisais de la planche à voile à l'époque, donc c'était plus la Californie. La seconde raison, c'est que j'ai perdu mon père. J'ai eu envie de m'évader, de partir de France. Enfin, j'ai eu l'opportunité de faire un échange universitaire lors de mes études artistiques à Paris 8.
Ces trois raisons-là combinées ont fait que je suis venue à New York pour finir ma maîtrise d'Arts Plastiques. New York m'a séduite. A la fin de mon année d'étude, je m'y suis installée pour de bon.
madmoiZelle.com : Quelle image de la ville avais-tu avant de venir ?
V.S. : J'avais peur, j'imaginais les gangs, les armes, la violence. C'est un peu cliché mais c'était dans les années 90. Je suis arrivée pour la première fois en vacances en 1992, ça avait commencé à changer mais tout le monde, en France, me disait : « Mais tu es folle ! 'faut pas partir toute seule, tu vas te faire attaquer, te faire violer ». Bref, c'était l'horreur et si j'avais écouté les personnes qui m'entouraient en France, je ne serai jamais partie.
madmoiZelle.com : Justement par rapport à cette image, quelles sont tes déceptions et tes satisfactions ?
V.S. : J'ai plus de satisfactions que de déceptions sinon je ne serai pas restée.
Mes déceptions sont essentiellement politiques et sociales. Socialement le pays est faible et j'ai beaucoup de mal avec la politique de Bush.
Mes satisfactions... Je trouve que c'est une ville qui a une énergie beaucoup plus positive que la France. J'avais le projet d'écrire un livre en France, ce que j'ai entendu autour de moi c'était : « Non, mais tu t'es prise pour la fille de Balzac ou quoi !? ». Ici, quand j'ai parlé de ce projet, ça a été l'inverse : « C'est génial, bien sûr, vas-y fonce ». Alors forcément y'a une estime de soi qui est totalement différente.
Socialement aussi, y'a quelque chose de stimulant, beaucoup de choses sont guidées par la spontanéité. Une soirée en France, par exemple, déjà il faut y être invitée, et même si on l'est, on risque de rester seule dans son coin. Alors qu'ici je vous donne cinq minutes pour que quelqu'un vienne vers vous avec un : « Hi, where do you come from ? ». Beaucoup de Français disent que les Américains sont superficiels, mais j'appelle pas ça de la superficialité, ils ont un côté bon enfant, très positif... Cet aspect-là de la vie ici me satisfait énormément. Y'a un côté facile à vivre, qui en même temps peut être trompeur parce qu'on est aussi très vite seule ici.
madmoiZelle.com : Dans ton métier de plasticienne, de quelle manière vivre ici a influencé ton travail ?
V.S. : Le thème de ma maîtrise était Objets emblématiques des minorités urbaines à Paris et à New York, donc j'avais besoin d'être ici. Je fais des installations sur les milieux urbains, donc New York est un peu le terrain idéal pour ce genre de travail. Et puis, par rapport au thème des minorités, le concept est intéressant à travailler du point de vue américain.
Ici, par rapport au concept de minorité, je me sens un peu une responsabilité politique dans la mesure où je donne un coup de pied dans la fourmilière. Contrairement à la France (où la notion de minorité renvoie à l'idée de petit nombre), ici le concept est très péjoratif. Je cherche à montrer que c'est pas parce qu'on fait partie d'une minorité qu'on n'est pas éduqué, qu'on est ignorant, qu'on vend de la drogue ou qu'on est prostitué, parce que c'est quelque chose de très présent dans la signification américaine du mot « minorité ». Je dis souvent que je suis une minorité française à New York. L'idée a tendance à beaucoup choquer les Américains, puisque pour eux la France c'est la culture, l'éducation, ça ne peut pas être une minorité.
Alors oui, New York m'influence et me donne encore plus de raisons politiques pour faire mon travail.
madmoiZelle.com : Tu dis que la ville te donne des raisons politiques pour tes oeuvres. Comment vois-tu le phénomène Barack Obama ?
V.S. : Pour être honnête, je suis super ravie d'avoir la possibilité d'être aux Etat-Unis pour les prochaines présidentielles. J'aurais bien aimé qu'Obama soit une femme, mais je trouve que c'est un homme extraordinaire qui a réussi à bouger une jeunesse qui jusqu'alors mangeait du pop corn et n'en avait rien à foutre. Et en plus, en tant qu'homme mixte, pouvoir mobiliser tant de blancs dans un pays marqué par 400 ans d'esclavage et qui reste malgré tout un pays raciste, je trouve ça incroyable. J'ai même donné de l'argent alors que j'ai jamais donné de l'argent à un homme politique, c'est dire !
madmoiZelle.com : En septembre, tu montes une pièce intitulée « On ne naît pas femme, on le devient ». Penses-tu qu'il y a une différence entre la femme New-Yorkaise et la femme Parisienne ?
V.S. : Les femmes New-Yorkaises sont très privilégiées, super éduquées, avec des carrières abouties. On ne vient pas à New York pour tomber amoureux comme à Paris, on vient à New York pour faire carrière. Les femmes ici sont costauds... En France, j'ai l'impression qu'on est aussi costaud que la quiche lorraine. J'exagére un peu mais parler carrière avec des Américaines c'est totalement normal, alors qu'en France on va parler enfant. Bon je caricature mais globalement c'est le sentiment que j'ai. Ici comme on est en survie et que la vie est chère, oui on peut faire des enfants mais on fait surtout attention à sa carrière parce qu'on a pas le choix.
madmoiZelle.com : Si tu devais donner un conseil à quelqu'un qui souhaiterait s'installer à New York...
V.S. : Déjà, bon courage ! Faut surtout pas partir comme ça, illégalement, sans avoir tout prévu. C'est beaucoup de travail, de recherches, beaucoup de persévérance, de constance, de discipline. C'est pas une ville facile, faut le savoir, y'a des moments on pleure, et souvent toute seule.
Les dîners trois fois par semaine avec un cercle d'amis très fermé qui vous écoutent vous plaindre, ici ça n'existe pas. On te donnera une heure grand maximum. Ici, on ne peut pas se permettre d'aller mal, sinon on devient inintéressant à fréquenter. Ici, chacun a tellement de problèmes que si on commence à prendre les autres pour des poubelles, on s'en sort plus. C'est dur parfois, mais j'aime cette philosophie là, ça permet de devenir plus fort.
madmoiZelle.com : Enfin quelques questions plus personnelles sur ton rapport à la ville. Quel est l'endroit que tu préfères ?
V.S. : J'aime beaucoup Downtown mais j'adore Harlem et je commence à aimer Brooklyn. De la 14st à Wall Street, c'est mon quartier. Je cherche à acheter du coté de Clinton Hill sur Brooklyn, c'est là le quartier underground maintenant ! Manhattan est en train de passer de mode...
madmoiZelle.com : Quelle est la généralité qu'on dit sur New York et qui t'énerve ?
V.S. : « Ah je pourrais jamais habiter ici ». Quand quelqu'un me dit ça, et que cette personne se lève à 6h du matin pour faire tous les musées, toutes les queues, tous les bus, c'est quelqu'un qui n'arrive pas à comprendre que nous on ne fait pas ça : on fait pas trois musées dans la journée et on ne mange pas sur Times Square tous les midis !
Cette phrase m'énerve et ça me touche directement. Quand quelqu'un critique New York, je le prends d'une manière personnelle, j'aime tellement cette ville que c'est moi qu'on atteint. C'est quelqu'un qui n'a pas saisi la richesse et la sensibilité de la ville.
madmoiZelle.com : Quel est le livre ou le film qui représente le mieux le New York dans lequel toi tu vis ?
V.S. : Mon bouquin, Only in New York, darling, et je ne dis pas ça par souci marketing ! Y'a pas plus représentatif que ça. C'est une ville qui m'a donné des claques sur mes certitudes, et ce livre c'est l'ensemble des claques que je me suis prise à mon arrivée.
madmoiZelle.com : Pour finir, en quelques mots, qu'est-ce qu'être une madmoiZelle à New York en 2008 ?
V.S. : C'est tout sauf une fille de Sex and the City. Les valeurs du mariage véhiculées dans le film sont peu présentes dans la mentalité des madmoiZelles à New York. Et puis, regarde dans la rue, une madmoiZelle à New York elle est afro-américaine, asiatique mais pas, surtout pas exclusivement blanche. Elle est aussi indépendante et forte.

Lulu.com press release / Dossier de presse Lulu.com

2009-07-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Example of an author on Lulu:
Virginie, absolute artist, tells on Lulu.comher first difficulties in the Big Apple.
In “Only in New York Darling!” Virginie Sommet tells her discovery of the bohemian New York,and creates an atypic work exclusively on Lulu.com.

And what if the next success on the beach this summer was a book only available on the Internet?

Paris, the 5th of April 2007 – Eight years ago, a young Norman woman left her part of France to discover the most cosmopolitan city in the world: New York. Virginie Sommet only owned then her ambition and a black bike. Artist in the most universal sense, open to all encounters and influences. Virginie tells in “Only in New York Darling!” her first steps, her first galleys, her jobs, her unlikely encounters, in a way a vision of New York in the middle 90’s, before the monstrous security wave which followed the terrorist attacks of the 11th of September, 2001.
“It is precisely following the attacks that I decided to write this book” tells Virginie. “I wanted urgently to share my love for New York, to remind its wealth, to describe how fascinated I am by its inhabitants, its districts, its unique energy. I have been writing the book every morning for six months, after a zazen session (Japanese meditation), then once the first draft was done, corrections and composition were very long, mobilizing relatives and friends to obtain the most singular and personal work possible.”

AN ABSOLUTE WORK, BY AN ABSOLUTE ARTIST

After eight years of living in New Yorker , Virginie became a prominent artist, exhibiting her art in several galleries, first for group shows and then for solo show. She ended by setting up her own gallery on Canal Street, in the heart of Chinatown/Soho, called Gallery 173-171, where she exhibits works. She also organizes performances in a second studio. Some of her creations were offered to the actress Susan Sarandon and to the Peace Nobel prices Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, ordered by Action against Hunger.
To finalize her book on Lulu, Virginie Sommet had a few talents over her, in particular her friend Gary Saint Clare, who is a graphic designer and realised the cover of the book.
“Only in New York Darling!” is introduced as an initiatory narrative we can devour or graze according to our appetite. Short paragraphs are punctuated by poems, illustrations, in the style of an artistic collage.

From screen to book
A FIRST STEP

Virginie is putting herself out to make her book accessible and visible close to the French community in New York. “I already organized in my gallery signature sessions of the book, I was pleased to be interviewed by some French-speaking journalist, for Glamour and the France-Amérique magazine. I am working on the English translation of the book forthcoming titles next summer on Lulu, and also on setting on music some of my poems, that will be the subject of a CD which ideally would be sold with the book.”
Sébastien at the agency Actual at the 01 41 40 41 16 or by mail: sebastien@actual.fr.

Exemple d’un auteur sur Lulu :
Virginie, artiste totale, raconte sur Lulu.com ses premiers pépins dans la Grosse Pomme.
Dans Only in New York Darling ! Virginie Sommet raconte sa découverte du New York bohème, et crée une œuvre atypique exclusivement sur Lulu.com
Et si le prochain succès cet été sur les plages était un livre uniquement disponible sur internet ?

Paris, le 5 avril 2007 – Il y a huit ans, une jeune femme normande quittait son coin de France pour partir à la découverte de la ville la plus cosmopolite au monde : New York. Virginie Sommet ne disposait alors pour seuls bagages que son ambition et une bicyclette noire. Artiste dans le sens le plus universel du terme, ouverte à toutes les rencontres et toutes les influences, Virginie raconte dans Only in New York Darling ! ses premiers pas, ses galères, petits boulots, rencontres improbables, en somme une vision du New York du milieu des années quatre-vingt dix, avant la monstrueuse vague sécuritaire qui suivit les attentats du 11 septembre 2001.
« C’est suite justement aux attentats que j’ai décidé d’écrire ce livre, » raconte Virginie. « Je voulais urgemment faire partager mon amour pour New York, rappeler sa richesse, décrire la fascination qu’exercent sur moi ses habitants, ses quartiers, son énergie unique. J’ai rédigé le livre tous les matins pendant six mois, après une séance de zazen (méditation japonaise), puis une fois le premier jet effectué, les corrections et la composition furent longs, mobilisant proches et amis pour obtenir une œuvre qui soit la plus singulière et personnelle possible. »

UNE ŒUVRE TOTALE, PAR UNE ARTISTE TOTALE

En huit ans de vie new-yorkaise, Virginie est devenue une artiste en vue, exposant ses œuvres dans plusieurs galeries, d’abord dans des groupes puis indépendamment. Elle a fini par monter sa propre galerie sur Canal Street, au cœur de Chinatown/Soho, appelée Gallery 173-171, où elle expose des œuvres. Elle organise également des performances dans un second atelier. Plusieurs de ses créations ont été offertes à l’actrice Susan Sarandon et aux prix Nobel de la Paix Desmond Tutu et Nelson Mandela, commandées par l’ONG Action contre la Faim.
Pour finaliser son livre sur Lulu, Virginie Sommet a réuni quelques talents autour d’elle, notamment son ami Gary Saint Clare, qui est graphiste et a réalisé la couverture du livre.
Only in New York Darling ! se présente comme un récit initiatique qui se dévore ou se picore selon l’appétit. De courts paragraphes sont entrecoupés par des poèmes, des illustrations, à la manière d’un collage artistique.

De l’écran au livre
UNE PREMIÈRE ÉTAPE

Virginie se démène pour rendre son livre accessible et visible à New York auprès de la communauté francophone. « J’ai déjà organisé dans ma galerie des séances de signature du livre, j’ai eu le plaisir d’être interviewée par plusieurs journalistes francophones, pour Glamour et pour le magazine France-Amérique. Je travaille également à la traduction en anglais du livre à paraître l’été prochain sans doute sur Lulu, ainsi que la mise en musique de certains de mes poèmes, qui fera l’objet d’un CD qui, idéalement, serait vendu avec le livre. »
Sébastien à l’agence Actual au 01 41 40 41 16 ou par mail : sebastien@actual.fr.

Contact Presse :
Pascale Desmaele/Sébastien Célimon
Agence Actual
01 41 10 41 16
pascale@actual.fr - sebastien@actual.fr

Eve Hernandez's column / La chronique d'Eve Hernandez

2009-07-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

New Yorker column in Technicolor
“A childhood memory comes up: I’m 13, in Normandy, writing these words on my big white desk: I want to be scared, feel, travel, meet people, belong to creative circles and do whatever pleases me!”
Fulfilling her dreams, Virginie Sommet left one day her native Normandy to Paris then New York, where she quickly finds herself without apartment and money. New York 1 – Virginie 0. The author remains nevertheless determined and positive, whatever happens. Observing and questioning everybody she meets, she makes her own education, criss-crossing the city on her big black bike, marvelling, despairing, finding jobs, making friends, creating works and making peace with her past.
Told with an inimitable style, swinging between Parisian kid, engaged artist and sexy Barbarella, this rebirth narrative mixes humour, tenderness and outbursts, always sincere. New York is brought to a new light, throughout a high sense of observation, humanity, sensibility and capacity of the author to read and interpret the different moods of the city.
Follow her in New-York in order to “become who you are”.

Chronique new-yorkaise en technicolor
« Un souvenir d’enfance émerge tout d’un coup, je suis en Normandie en train d’écrire cette phrase sur mon grand bureau blanc, j’ai treize ans :
Je veux avoir peur, vibrer, voyager, rencontrer plein de gens, faire partie des milieux créatifs et faire ce qu’il me plaît ! »
À la poursuite de son rêve, Virginie Sommet quitte un jour sa Basse-Normandie natale pour Paris puis New York, où elle se retrouve rapidement sans logement et sans argent. New York 1 – Virginie 0. L’auteur n’en reste pas moins déterminée et positive, quoi qu’il arrive. Observant et questionnant tous ceux qu’elle rencontre, elle fait sa propre éducation, sillonne la ville sur son grand vélo noir, s’émerveille, se désespère, trouve du travail, se fait des amis, crée des œuvres et fait la paix avec son passé.
Raconté avec un style inimitable qui oscille entre titi parisien, artiste engagée et Barbarella sexy, ce récit d’une renaissance mêle humour, tendresse et coups de gueule, toujours dans la plus grande sincérité. New York est révélée sous un jour nouveau à travers le sens aigu de l’observation, l’humanité, la sensibilité et la capacité de l’auteur à lire et interpréter les différentes humeurs de la ville.
Suivez-la à New York pour, vous aussi, « devenir qui vous êtes ».

Publication Pays d'Auge

2009-07-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Translation of the Newspaper”Pays d’Auge”’s article published 2008:
Culture-“Only in New York, Darling!” a book available on line.
A French girl from Normandy conquered New York.
This French artist live in New York since ten years. In her unusual book she writes about her first steps in the Big Apple.
What did you do before coming to New York?
I am born in Lisieux and I spent all my youth in Normandy.
I went to school in Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle then “Notre Dame de Lisieux” and then in Cornu. I did my Art studies at the University of Paris viii. After my Master , I open an Art Gallery in Paris , we were selling only dance photographies. but I did not like the selling aspect of it. Then I opened my own dance school in Paris. I went to New York for the first time in 1992 for the holidays. I loved it so much that I went back during 6 followings summers. I decide to live in Manhattan in 1998.
But I come back to Normandy once a year, back to the roots.
Did you click with the city right away?
YES! The first thing that surprised me is the kindness and the spontaneity of the New Yorker .They have a very innocent , fresh attitude that I do not find in Paris even if Manhattan is far from be an easy city to deal with.
What make you write “Only in New York, Darling!”?
I was in Paris during 9/11/2001.
I felt so chocked, sad and very pest off that Manhattan was attacked that I decide to share my life, my experience in the city with others and break the prejudices. The French population think that they are the best in everything : best food, most elegant, very articulate and I was thinking like that until I came to New York.
Now I think we are not bad at all but different or complementary.
What is the structure of your book?
In the three first chapters, I hold the hand of the reader so he can discover the city through my eyes. Then I leave him alone and he has to discover by himself. He can receive the slaps that I took in my face in this city!
The reader will find interviews, illustrations , urban texts, chapters about parties, art opening, underground Manhattan in Chinatown.
What are your next project?
I want to find a publisher in New York!

Journalist: Marie Vermeersch.

Thursday April 17 /2008

2008-04-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Atypical Pictures:

Absurdity of our political collapse...

In the West Village...

Thursday April 17/2008

We just pass two Clubs on 25 street with all the super short skirts everywhere and suddenly 20 Nones are walking on Saturday Night at almost 1 am!!!

Only In New York, Darling!

Saturday April 19/2008

A Rolls Royce parked in Chinatown, the owner (the lady with the black jacket and the purple turban) buy some fruits and vegetable!

Monday April 21/2008

The Spring Art Fair Race in Manhattan 2008

2008-03-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

On my way bicycling to Scope NY I caught "digitaly" a cracking piece on Bleecker street

When the power of Love overcomes the love of power,

the world will know peace.

Run, run to see everything......

The eyes wide open, the finger ready to push the button of my digital camera I do not want to miss a crumb.

Creativity and craziness everywhere, damned finally...

At Scope :

1) Ivana Brenner at creativethriftshop.com

It is many strips of a dry mixed paint with polymer.

Painting is becoming sculpture,collage, installation, object, decontextualisation... of matter

2)Russel Biles at deanproject.com

Can you imagine some naked white children pictures in an African Magazine?

Just try...strange right......

3)Matthew Rodriguez at rare-gallery.com

Collage super authentic....

At Volta NY :

1)Jacin Giordano at galeriebaumetsultana.com

This is the Brancusi column of multi-colored carpet toilet seat!!!! I love it....

2) Jota Castro at elainelevyproject.com

No comments... everything is told in that piece...

3)Sage Vaughin at bertrand-gruner.com

Something very contemporary about it.

At Art Now :

1)Sarah Didonato at georgebillis.com

Is she going to fly away?

2)Tracy Timmins at mrcagallery.com

Did you say Glamour....?

At Red Dot :

1)Edward del Rosario at ricepolakgallery.com

Strange animals....human beings....on a monochrome orange background...

At Armory Show:

1) Thukral & Tagra at bosepacia.com

"Toasted flowers", did you taste it....?

At Bridge:

1)Alexis Duque at praxis-art.com

After the consumerism apocalypse....nature is back.....

2) Zhang Hui at ekfineart.com

Women have bigger heads these days......

At Pulse:

1)John Salvest at morganlehmangallery.com

You always should keep them and do something with it...(soap).

2) Jennifer Burkley Vasher at levygallery.com

The "Tylenol Room " is amazing, I want the same...(made with only tylenol)

and look at this........from the same artist....no candy.....

So yes it was crazy and I loved it......

I think that Pulse were the most decontextualised...Art Fair....