Heirloom
This deed of sale of an agricultural parcel in Bourgoin (France) hangs in the office of Jean-François and Jean-Charles Simonet. Both brothers are co-owners and co-directors of the Fouquet-Simonet industrial printing factory in Bourgoin-Jallieu. The Fouquet-Simonet company was created in the 1930s when Charles Simonet (Jean-Vincent Simonet’s great grandfather) bought shares of Ms. Fouquet’s printing factory, where he had been working for years.

Exhibition view, 2022
The sale deed dates from 1826, about a century before the company’s foundation, and has no direct connection to Simonet’s family. Nevertheless, it was granted a special place on the family’s wall because of its intriguing detail. At the bottom of the document states:
AT BOURGOIN, from the printing factory of Charles Simonnet, father and son.

The archive (heirloom), 2022

Switch (heirloom), 2022

Exhibition view, 2022
Father and I have been doing our best, our fingers stay blue now.
At first mine would turn back to their initial color after bathing but I tried harder. Father gave me good advice and the blue is almost covering his wrists. I wouldn’t dare to expect that much
for myself. Will new-borns get blue fingers someday?
C.
Dear boy,
How could we know?
Ms. F
The baby’s fingers are blue.
C.
Dear boy,
It’s a good sign, but will they fade ?
Ms. F

Sun chemical (heirloom), 2022
Jean-Vincent Simonet
Heirloom
Sentiment, Zürich, Switzerland
April 1 – May 14, 2022
CREDITS
Photo: Philipp Rupp and Julien Gremaud
Courtesy: of Sentiment and the artist