Catalogue published on the occasion of Romeo Mivekannin's solo show at the Paris+ by Art Basel fair, held at the Grand Palais Éphémère from 19 to 23 October 2022.
The catalogue brings together a selection of paintings on free-standing canvas by Romeo Mivekannin, from his "Orientalism" series. The text is written by Delphine Lopez.
"Roméo Mivekannin creates semantic spaces that are both fascinating and disturbing. With his new body of work dedicated to so-called Orientalist painting, the artist draws the contours of a deconstructionist visual theatre in which the public is invited to play its role regardless of whether it wants to or not.
[...]
As a dramatist with a multitude of tricks, the artist invites himself into roles where he is not expected and rejects any narrative assignment. The visual treatment of the selfportrait is striking because the collage effect is so obvious, and the volume of the lines seems to spring from the black background of the canvas like an extension of it. His piercing gaze glares at us from one work to the next and makes us think about our interpretation process. It is impossible to adopt the bodies of others as our own, to make them the onlookers of our dreams of power. From now on, the Other looks at us and asks: what are you endlessly re-enacting of gender and race domination narratives?"
