Read more As part of his residency at the Villa Albertine, Paul Maheke has chosen to settle in Chicago, a city where segregation has left a lasting mark. It is in this context that the visual artist intends to conduct A Darkling Ring of Unresolved Shadows, a research project for a film, which explores the cultural and political legacy of roller disco in the black communities of Chicago's South Side. The history of modern roller disco is indeed intrinsically linked to the civil rights movement in the United States, insofar as this discipline was born and has been deployed in homosexual and black communities since the 1970s as a means of emancipation, of creative struggle.
The project does not stop there: Paul Maheke aims to put this dual cultural and political heritage of roller disco into perspective with the life of the world-famous figure skating champion, Surya Bonaly. A choice that resonates with his own journey:
“As a child, I trained to become a professional figure skater. I was introduced to the sport by my Congolese father who had a deep admiration for Bonaly. If I remember watching Surya Bonaly on television, exulting and crying with her, for better or for worse, I also remember my father explaining to us how structural racism affected his ranking and, by extension, our lives as black children” Paul Maheke
Through this dual focus, the visual artist implicitly questions the dialogue between dance and identity, the body and politics, drawing on decolonial and emancipatory thinking. Concretely, to successfully complete his exploration, Paul Maheke wants to meet Surya Bonaly, now a trainer in Las Vegas, but also to enter the intergenerational community of skaters frequenting the nightclubs of Chicago's South Side.
Installations, videos, performances, Paul Maheke's work can take different forms and is singularly interested in the body, as the bearer of our history, our memory and our identity. He studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Art de Paris-Cergy, at the École Estienne in Paris and at the Open School East in London, and his works and performances have already been presented at the Tate Modern in London, at the Venice Biennale, at the Renaissance Society in Chicago, at the Centre Pompidou, at the Palais de Tokyo, at the Bourse de Commerce – Collection Pinault and at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris, as well as at the MO. CO in Montpellier.
His news:
Paul Maheke will present a work in the new permanent collection hang at Tate Britain in London. He is also participating in several group exhibitions: Shifting Realities at the Rudolfinum in Prague; and the inaugural group exhibition of the Bally Foundation in Lugano, Switzerland. He is also working on two solo exhibitions in London and Milan, which will open in July and September.
As part of his residency at the Villa Albertine, Paul Maheke has chosen to settle in Chicago, a city where segregation has left a lasting mark. It is in this context that the visual artist intends to lead A Darkling Ring of Unresolved Shadows (A Dark Ring of Unresolved Shadows), a research project for a film, which explores the cultural and political legacy of roller disco in black communities on Chicago's South SideThe history of modern roller disco is in fact intrinsically linked to the civil rights movement in the United States, insofar as this discipline was born and has been deployed in homosexual and black communities since the 1970s as a means of emancipation, of creative struggle.
The project does not stop there: Paul Maheke aims to put this dual cultural and political heritage of roller disco into perspective with the life of the world-famous figure skating champion, Surya Bonaly. A choice that resonates with his own journey:
« As a child, I trained to become a professional figure skater. I was introduced to the sport by my Congolese father who had a deep admiration for Bonaly. If I remember watching Surya Bonaly on television, exulting and crying with her, for better or for worse, I also remember my father explaining to us how structural racism affected his ranking and, by extension, our lives as black children. » Paul Maheke
Through this dual focus, the visual artist implicitly questions the dialogue between dance and identity, the body and politics, drawing on decolonial and emancipatory thinking. Concretely, to successfully complete his exploration, Paul Maheke wants to meet Surya Bonaly, now a trainer in Las Vegas, but also to enter the intergenerational community of skaters frequenting the nightclubs of Chicago's South Side.
Installations, videos, performances, Paul Maheke's work can take different forms and is singularly interested in the body, as the bearer of our history, our memory and our identity. He studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Art de Paris-Cergy, at the École Estienne in Paris and at the Open School East in London, and his works and performances have already been presented at the Tate Modern in London, at the Venice Biennale, at the Renaissance Society in Chicago, at the Centre Pompidou, at the Palais de Tokyo, at the Bourse de Commerce – Collection Pinault and at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris, as well as at the MO. CO in Montpellier.
His news:
Paul Maheke will present a work in the new permanent collection hang at Tate Britain in London. He is also participating in several group exhibitions: Shifting Realities at the Rudolfinum in Prague; and the inaugural group exhibition of the Bally Foundation in Lugano, Switzerland. He is also working on two solo exhibitions in London and Milan, which will open in July and September.
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