Yves Bartlett

Biography

Yves Bartlett is a performer, art coordinator, and publisher. Born in 1997 in Dijon, he lives and works between Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis) and Mézin (Lot-et-Garonne).

Rooted in contemporary poetry, his research employs a humorous documentary methodology. In recent years, he has been particularly interested in the role of deception in our imaginations. He also explores linguistic issues, notably through the Chinese and Italian languages, as well as forms of unwritten languages.

His artistic practice is not necessarily about producing but rather about organizing, attempting to bring together creators and possibilities to facilitate the emergence of new forms of writing. Inherently collaborative, it results in sound, literary, or graphic works, published by the association Distance Press, which he co-directs, or in collective performances. He is a member of the spoken-word duo Boogie(a) Woogie(b), the performance group Soleil Gras, and the free jazz group Traumpunkt.

In the past, he co-founded the curatorial collective Folle Béton, the Fol Film Festival, and the Atelier Non-étoile. He has also been involved in the artistic direction of Espace Nonono (2022-2024), the festival La distance séparant l’œuf du sol (2020), Galerie Folle Béton (2018-2019), Galerie Nivet-Carzon (2018-2024), and the artist book festival Comme des lézards au soleil (2020-2022).

Biographie

Yves Bartlett est performeur, coordinateur artistique et éditeur. Né en 1997 à Dijon, il vit et travaille entre Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis) et Mézin (Lot-et-Garonne).

Enracinée dans la poésie contemporaine, sa recherche utilise une méthodologie documentaire et humoristique. Ces dernières années, il s’est particulièrement intéressé à la place du mensonge dans nos imaginaires. Il explore également les enjeux de la linguistique, notamment à travers les langues chinoise et italienne, ainsi que les formes de langage non écrites.

Dans sa pratique, il n’est pas forcément question de produire mais plutôt de rassembler le possible et le sensible. Ses projets débouchent sur des objets sonores, littéraires ou graphiques, édités par l’association Distance Press qu’il co-dirige, ou sur des performances collectives. Il est ainsi membre du duo Boogie(a) Woogie(b), du groupe de performance Soleil Gras, et du groupe de free jazz Traumpunkt.

Par le passé, il a co-fondé le collectif curatorial Folle Béton, le festival de film Fol Film Festival et l’atelier Non-étoile. Il s’est également occupé de la direction artistique de l’Espace Nonono (2022-2024), du festival La distance séparant l’œuf du sol (2020), de la Galerie Folle Béton (2018-2019), de la Galerie Nivet-Carzon (2018-2024) et du festival du livre d’artiste Comme des lézards au soleil (2020-2022).

Special thanks

— Thanks Paul Dagorne for granting permission to use the magical font “Footic” for the headings on this website.

👌 ⚑ ✋ ✨ 🙂 👌 ⚑

Education

•Offshore Post-Graduate Program — Shanghai / Nancy (China / France), 2021–2022

•École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) — Paris (France), 2016–2021

•Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) — Taipei (Taiwan), 2019

•Institut Supérieur des Arts et du Design de Toulouse (isdaT) — Toulouse (France), 2015

Project direction

•La Païva — Workspace for curators and art workers (France), since 2025

•Distance Press — Independent publisher dedicated to experimental writing and sound practices (France), since 2024

•Espace Nonono — Experimental space for emerging artists, co-founded with the curatorial duo Emploi fictif, Montreuil (France), 2022–2024

•Non-Étoile — Artist-run space with studios, exhibition spaces and shared production equipment, Montreuil (France), 2021–2024

•Galerie Nivet-Carzon — Curatorial direction and general coordination (France), since 2018

•Folle Béton — Curatorial initiative supporting emerging artists through exhibitions, concerts, a book fair and screenings, Paris (France), 2017–2023

Art coordination

•Distance tour — Programming and coordination, Athens / Thessaloniki (Greece), 2026

•Musée du liège et du bouchon — Research residency on the Third Republic, Mézin (France), 2026

•Distance Press — Research residency around the village of Cannincatini, Sicily (France / Italy), 2024–2026

•Saison de la Lituanie en France — Creation residency (France / Lithuania), 2024

•Institut français de Vilnius × Galerie Nivet-Carzon — Production residency for the ArtVilnius fair, Vilnius (Lithuania), 2018–2025

•Résidence nonono at Non-Étoile — Curatorial residency, Montreuil (France), 2022–2024

•Bottega Tommaso — Residency coordination, Sicily (Italy), 2024

•Pro Šešėlius / Shadow Casting — Residency coordination with Daura Polonskyté, Paris / Vilnius (France / Lithuania), 2024

•Espace Nonono — Artistic direction, Montreuil (France), 2022–2024

•Fol Film Festival — Film festival with Folle Béton × ENSAD, Paris (France), 2019–2021

•Festival Non-Étoile — Contemporary art festival, Tour Orion, Montreuil (France), 2022–2023

•Tbilisi Art Fair — Cabaret Mañana project booth with Arslane Smirnov (Georgia), 2022

•Temple de Port-Royal — De mon désert concert, Paris (France), 2022

•La Boîte n°31 — Comme des lézards au soleil artist book fair, Paris (France), 2021–2022

•Galerie des Bains-Douches — Liminal Performance Party, Marseille (France), 2021–2022

•La distance séparant l’œuf du sol — Contemporary festival w/ Paracetamool and the Printemps de l’art contemporain (PAC), Marseille (France), 2020

•Galerie Folle Béton — Art space, Paris (France), 2019–2020

•Xtrem Performance Parties, ENSAD Paris (France)

•TEOTWAWKI, Le Scope, Paris (France)

•Plus Moins Plus — Art and scientific research, ENS, ESPCI & Les Mines, Paris (France), 2018

Editing coordination

Sounds from Greece compilation, vinyl, Distance Press, 2026

Mu Dan, anthology of poems, book, Distance Press, 2026

Cartographie des choses, book, Distance Press, 2026

More than Nowhere compilation, vinyl, Distance Press, 2025

Shadow Casting Compilation, book, Distance Press, 2025

Curating

•ArtVilnius × Institut Français de Lituanie — Shadow, Vilnius (Lithuania), 2025