French photographer Vincent Galinier is presenting an extraordinary exhibition at Galerie 21 in Toulouse, running until September 30th. The show, titled "9:00 heures, Toulouse s'éveille" (9:00 a.m., Toulouse Awakens), offers visitors a unique sensory experience that transforms the simple act of having morning coffee into an artistic exploration of time, connection, and human ritual.
The exhibition stems from a five-year project that Galinier began during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Shall we have a coffee? A ritual that punctuates our days, our meetings, our breaks," Galinier explains in his artist statement. "Five years ago, as we entered into the COVID period, I embarked on the idea of taking the time, establishing rituals around a coffee, in the heart of Toulouse." Faced with the isolation that characterized the pandemic era, the artist organized regular morning meetings on the terraces of Place du Capitole, always at exactly 9:00 a.m. to establish a consistent rhythm.
During this period of increased digital communication, Galinier deliberately chose a more tactile approach to his work. He incorporated unique technological choices, even going so far as to construct his own camera. "During these meetings, the main goal was to enjoy unique moments over coffee, with a newspaper, or other familiar objects," he notes. "But above all, not to be solely preoccupied with the challenge of taking the perfect photo, nor to be absorbed by any screen."
Despite working with digital equipment, Galinier adopted habits that harked back to analog photography traditions. He focused on taking fewer pictures, waiting for them, carefully preparing them, and thoughtfully presenting them. The artist shared these captured moments through regular social media posts and physical exchanges with friends, building a community around these daily rituals before culminating the project with this comprehensive exhibition.
Galerie 21's support for the project aligns perfectly with the gallery's philosophy. "Surprisingly, like a common thread, their gallery slogan is: Take the time to look," Galinier observes. Together, the artist and gallery have created an immersive environment that brings these morning moments to life through carefully curated elements including coffee aromas, ambient sounds, and visual experiences.
The gallery's curatorial statement emphasizes the exhibition's exploration of time itself. "As time and connections became almost tenuous, it was essential for the gallery to organize Vincent Galinier's exhibition," they explain. "'Take the time to look' plays with and loses time, this time so precious that it could turn the world upside down." The gallery views the unraveling of temporal experience as a way to create connections with others.
Located in a small alleyway off the Trésorerie, Place du Salin in the heart of Toulouse's Carmes district, Vincent Galinier's LAB has been transformed for this exhibition. The curatorial text poses philosophical questions about temporal movement: "What if we moved from the present to the past, or from the future to the present?" The exhibition invites visitors to consider time not just as a measured quantity, but as "a form of our internal sense" that "determines external situations, to give them their rhythm."
The gallery experience is designed to create temporal stops, "opening a passage that would immobilize the torrential flow of the rest of things." At the designated 9:00 a.m. moment, visitors encounter what the curators describe as "the fluid mass of time, of which Bergson speaks," referencing the philosopher Henri Bergson's theories about temporal experience. The exhibition creates a space where "sounds, the scent of roasted cherries, the colors mingling with the vapors" combine to recreate the essence of Toulouse awakening.
Visitors are promised a unique sensory experience that operates "far from all technology" and immerses them in "a single encounter: that of your freedom." The exhibition runs throughout September, with gallery hours from Thursday to Saturday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., though the promotional materials playfully note that "It will be 9 a.m. in Toulouse at any time."
On September 20th at 4 p.m., the gallery hosted a special "Café ou T" (Coffee or Tea) event, allowing visitors to have coffee and chat directly with the artist. This interactive session was broadcast on Galerie 21's YouTube channel, extending the community aspect of the project into the digital realm. The exhibition continues until September 30, 2025, at Galerie 21, located at 3 Imp. de la Trésorerie, 31000 Toulouse, France.
