Conceived as an emotional structure, “反复,” Mélanie Matranga's exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo is intentionally equivocal. Its very title—in Mandarin—puts us in an awkward situation, just as when we need to ask a stranger our way in an unknown city, or when we have to admit our inability to understand a message before being even able to start a conversation. Mélanie Matranga combines in her exhibition signs that reflect upon interiority with elements linked to social attitudes and habits. We find ourselves amid familiar objects and generic forms, in situations where self-expression, paradoxically, is possible only once identity is lost. They are places to be alone with others.
Thomas Boutoux and Benjamin Thorel are the curators of Mélanie Matranga's solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo.
Delphine Manetta is an ethnologist.
Julien Mahon is a cinema critic.
Published on the occasion of Mélanie Matranga's solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, “反复,” from October 21 to January 10, 2016.
Published in cooperation with Les presses du réel, this series of monographic books accompanies the Palais de Tokyo's exhibition program. Richly illustrated, with many views of the exhibition, accessible to all, each book will offer the reader an extended experience of the encounter with the artists' work. The artists' words will appear alongside original contributions by theoreticians, art critics, and curators, providing the reader with a deeper understanding of each artist's background and of the genesis of their project for the Palais de Tokyo. These books will allow the reader to follow the evolution of the artists' reflection on their work. Reproductions of artworks, preparatory documents, visual references, and studio views will bear witness to each step in the artist's process and accompany interviews and essays.