5 must-see works at the new exhibition Let's be united at the MAIF Social Club

undefined 17 avril 2024 undefined 10h00

The Editor

Arnaud Adami, Vany © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF

Press release

Both very intimate and imbued with a certain collective dimension, the body fascinates as much as it questions. The MAIF Social Club dedicates its latest exhibition to it, completely free of charge, until January 4, 2025.

Big, thin, tall, short, young, old, healthy, sick, sometimes cherished, often the subject of many complexes... For its new exhibition in 2024, the MAIF Social Club has decided to tackle one of the most intimate subjects there is: the body. Through a selection of works as disturbing as they are fascinating, everyone reflects in their own way on what the body represents in its individuality, but also in its universality. A free exhibition, to discover until January 4, 2025. ## The body in all its forms at the MAIF Social Club Generally defined as the material part of an animated being, in opposition to its immaterial part such as the mind or soul, the body has always been the subject of many questions, whether about its nature, its function, its contribution to the construction of our identity, or its representation in different cultures and societies. How does the body contribute to our sense of self?ntit? How does the body give meaning to our environment? What is its role in the institution of emancipatory, racial, feminist, social, and ecological struggles? A whole bunch of questions that the new exhibition at the MAIF Social Club will try to answer.
Nicolas Guiet, MDLR, 2024 © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF

Alongside 14 international and multidisciplinary artists whose works are divided into 4 subtly related parts, curator Nawal Bakouri tries to show us different ways of understanding the body. And the good news is that unlike many contemporary art exhibits that can be difficult to approach, the one at MAIF Social Club aims to be accessible and understandable for everyone (even the little ones).

We first explore the anatomical body, the center of all our ailments and the scale of our relationship with the world, before discovering it as a source of our uniqueness and identity. The exhibit then shows us the body as a vector of movement, capable of altering our perception of the world, before finally bringing us to come together, in a final part dedicated to the collective.


5 must-see works at Faisons Corps

Chaises and Bounce station by studio smarin

Let's start the exhibition with a little warm-up! Sitting on a chair made of an elastic band wrapped around a metal structure, a video invites us to move as if in a fitness class, without even getting up. This is the artist's way of ironically commenting on the world of work that creates sedentary lifestyles and psychological pressures, turning the concept of well-being at work into something completely absurd.


smarin, sChaises et Bounce station, 2015-2017 © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF


Le Curieux et Human II d'Élisabeth Daynès

La palme de l'œuvre la plus troublante de l’expo revient sans aucun doute à l'artiste paléo Élisabeth Daynès. Il vous faudra probablement quelques secondes – si ce n'est quelques minutes – pour vous rendre compte que cet homme en train de scruter, de façon très immobile, le tableau en 3D situé juste devant lui est en réalité... une statue. Un hyperréalisme poussé à son extrême qui nous laisse tout aussi fascinés que semble l'être cette sculpture et qui nous invite à questionner notre propre identité. Pas étonnant qu'Élisabeth Daynès soit exposée dans les musées les plus prestigieux du monde.

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Elisabeth Daynès, The Curious and Human II © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF


The wonderful world of abstraction by Jacob Dahlgren

It won't take long for you to give in to the irresistible urge to immerse yourself in the midst of this cloud of colorful ribbons falling from the ceiling. By inviting us to merge our bodies into his work, Jacob Dahlgren aims to make abstract art accessible to everyone, an artistic movement of the 20th century that rid itself of the figurative representation of bodies. Each person can then feel their own disappearance in favor of materials, lines, and colors, existing for themselves. A work that is likely to awaken your inner child.


Jacob Dahlgren, The wonderful world of abstraction, 2024 © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF


Lean on me (Burt and Hillary) by Daisy Collingridge

The headline of the exhibition, Daisy Collingridge's work explores the anatomical properties of the human body, exaggerating flesh and limbs. Here, we see two beings with disproportionate bodies, leaning on each other: the first one rests on the other, who waits and welcomes their companion's rest with tenderness and hospitality. A staging full of sensitivity and tenderness that makes us forget the striking strangeness of the silhouettes in front of us.


Daisy Collingridge, Lean on me (Burt and Hillary), 2021 © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF


Lights Contacts by Scenocosme

If you came alone, the next installation will force you to connect with other visitors: Lights Contacts is an interactive artwork that invites visitors to experience a physical and tactile interaction. To activate it, you must touch the ball located in the center of the room and then engage in physical contact – like holding hands or touching noses – with another person. Only then, the artwork will come to life, emitting unique sounds and colors.Each touch triggers different sounds and lights, influenced by .The electrostatic energy that emanates from this interaction. The more participants there are, the more it intensifies. A way to create unexpected connections and bring us together, exchange, and stimulate our imagination.


Scenocosme, Lights Contacts, 2009 © Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF


A Free Programming for Everyone

Far from being just an exhibition space where the visitor has their own experience, the MAIF Social Club invites us to participate in different types of visits. For example, you can take a tasting tour (7€), during which you will be able to sample culinary reinterpretations of the expo's artworks (new dates coming in September), a musical tour with the sounds of Clara Germont's cello, or a storytelling tour for adults.=a narrated visit" by two women with unparalleled talent. But our little favorite is still the "glitter tours", led by a collective of drag queens as quirky as they are fascinating. Outside of the tours, the MAIF Social Club has also made a point of offering us a varied cultural program to explore the body in all its forms. From April 18 to 20, for example, we find the actor Yacine Sif El Islam in "Sola gratia: Abus I", a powerful monologue in which he recounts, with his whole body, the homophobic assault he suffered a few years ago. From June 6 to 8, there will be two shows inspired by the writings of Annie Ernaux, "La Place" and "Une Femme", which will be performed at the cultural center.

For fans of soul and r'n'b, a sound room from Solange Knowles' album A Seat at the Table is organized on April 27th. This is the perfect opportunity to discover this masterpiece that addresses cultural appropriation, denouncing the appropriation of black bodies by white individuals. On May 23rd, a conference with Camille Froidevaux-Metterie and Philosophie Magazine will explore the condition of women through philosophical concepts of the body: Should we politicize intimacy?. Lastly, from May 30th to June 1st, you can immerse yourself in an interactive experience where you can enjoy a massage while listening to testimonials through headphones with Sonorous Bodies, an installation also featured in the Nuit Blanche 202.


The MAIF Social Club Shop

As always, the MAIF Social Club opens the doors to its responsible shop, available online and in person. On the agenda: a variety of original and eco-friendly creations for both kids and adults, such as wooden games, travel journals, reusable accessories, and natural skincare products to care for your body (let's stay on theme until the end). For example, you might fall for the carrot face mask by Radish Gang, made up of 99% natural, vegan ingredients, and made in France, or the multi-purpose nourishing and repairing balm, 100% natural and vegan. And for those who want to become walking works of art without getting a tattoo, there's always.And, you can also find ways to have fun while getting temporary tattoos with the Challenges Tattoo Nailmatic x Minus Editions kit.
© Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF


Let's unite
MAIF Social Club
37, rue de Turenne – 3e
Until January 4, 2025
Free entry
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