Ceysson & Bénétière Paris – Marinella Senatore – Alliance des corps – 9 February – 18 March 2023
9 February – 18 March 2023
Paris
For her first exhibition at the Ceysson & Bénétière gallery in Paris, Marinella Senatore (born in 1977 in Cava de’ Tirreni, Italy) will present fifteen recent works, one of which will adorn the gallery’s façade. Invited to the Palais de Tokyo last September, from an approach based on research and dialogue and structured by documentary methods, Marinella Senatore wanted to propose alternative systems of sociability through workshops, an exhibition, debates, a DJ set and a performance involving the participation of hundreds of people.
From this approach, Marinella Senatore questioned the mission of the Palais de Tokyo on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, as well as its its role as an art institution today, seeking to identify its social purpose in a post-covid world. Celebrating living together, social and political engagement, feminism and inclusivity, her project is rooted in personal development, non-hierarchical learning, self-training, and the creation of forms of citizenship that can be activated through informal education. Alliance des corps, the title of her exhibition at the Ceysson & Bénétière gallery, is a quote from Judith Butler. It will allow us to discover the extent of her multidisciplinary practice, from her light sculptures to her site-specific installations and her drawings and collages.
Her light sculptures are inspired by the traditional luminarie used in Southern Italy during public festivals and celebrations. By incorporating quotations about emancipation and identity into her sculptures, Marinella Senatore creates a system for politicising public space.
Her works generate energy that spreads as rays of light in and out of the space, changing its structures and the people in it. Her works evoke the rose windows and doors of Baroque architecture.
These structures catalyse energy and redirect it into society and community, creating precious moments of communion and sharing. The lighted wall sculptures in this exhibition contain emancipatory messages such as Dance First Think Later, a quote from Samuel Beckett, I Contain Multitudes, by Walt Whitman. These slogans are invitations to emancipation and self-determination and act as mantras for personal development. In addition to her famous luminarie, Marinella Senatore is also known for her School of Narrative Dance (SOND), a nomadic, free and non-hierarchical participatory project. With SOND, Marinella Senatore proposes an alternative educational model based on freedom, emancipation and self-training. The artist thus questions our society, its empathy and its capacity to create collective breathing spaces. “Participation” here means not only collaborating or working together, but also being part of a collective movement. Drawing on sources as diverse as theatre, oral narratives, vernacular forms, protest dances and music, public demonstrations, civil rituals and mass events, the exhibition will also feature drawings, collages and banners tracing the history of The School of Narrative Dance around the world. Marinella Senatore interrogates the bio-politics of different communities by challenging the traditional roles of artist and audience, and by expanding the idea of ‘assembly’, ‘community’ and ‘ritual’. For example, It’s Time to Go Back to the Street is an ongoing series of drawings exploring the plural forms of protest and its diverse legacies in different countries.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with Mazzoleni Gallery London – Torino
Address
Ceysson & Bénétière
23, rue du Renard
75004 Paris
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