Duo exhibition by Nitsan Margaliot and Antoine Mermet. Curated by Louise des Places.

Vernissage: Friday, August 16th, 2024, 6-10 pm, with a performance at 7 pm.

Performance and screening: Friday, August 23rd, 7 pm.

Date: August 16-28th, 2024. Opening hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 1-6 pm

Untitled (back when we met), presents the collaborative work of Nitsan Margaliot and Antoine Mermet. Their work relates to various queer meetings in private and public spaces using video, textile, text, sound, and performance. The exhibition revolves around two performances, Unfolded and We Met, as well as two screenings — a diary and This Gentle Moment. It holds testimonies and traces related to encounters around the bed and the weight it carries, exploring intimacy and queer trajectories.

Fostering a sense of togetherness, Nitsan Margaliot and Antoine Mermet’s work is enriched by collaborations. The space features intricate embroidery by Joachim Perez, captured through the lens of photographer María Eleonora Ledesma and filmed by the delicate sight of Michelle Ettlin.

A compelling series of video interviews explores individuals’ relationships with their beds, revealing intimate stories and personal reflections — bridging the boundaries of personal and shared experiences. Complementing this, a sound installation crafted from cassette tapes further enhances the contemplative ambiance. Recorded from the silent parts of vinyl, this “fake silence” offers pauses and spaces to wonder. The video piece “Closer”, casted onto a white-water surface, shows close-up of intimacy, allowing a glance into the performance piece, “Untitled (by your side)”.

In an attempt to underscore our shared humanity and vulnerability, some questions on textiles are placed around the space, inviting visitors to ponder and reflect on their own experiences as they engage with the installation. The work then becomes a stage for the viewers themselves, as they witness and are being observed from the outside through the windows.

Unfolded

With a sense of remembering and echoing the piece Untitled (by your side) which the two artists collaborated on, the performance raises questions about queer connections across generations, their absence and the memory of those lost. It is also a deeply personal space to reflect on one of our deepest human experiences — grief.

We Met

The performance presents a dialogue that explores various queer encounters, potential meetings and possible scenarios. Performed by Antoine Mermet, it resonates with the resilience of gay men and queer people; offering a farewell lullaby.

a diary / This Gentle Moment

The exhibition features two distinct screenings.

During COVID-19, Nitsan Margaliot turned to his diary as a placeholder for introspection and artistic expression. a diary, his thesis film document and reading, explores a dialogue between two open addresses — you and I. It features a dual narrative with diary entries and voiceover, capturing the dialogue between personal and abstract spheres. It reveals a journey towards connection amidst a time of global disconnection. The artist’s exploration of his own confrontations and his determination to rise above them, serves as a poignant reminder of the human capacity to adapt, relate, and find hope in the most unexpected places.

A Gentle Moment is a choreographic film inspired by Meir Eshel Absalon’s radical vision and film “Proposal for Habitat”. Through three chapters, Nitsan Margaliot inhabits private spaces, together with the dancer Eli Cohen, enacting scenes of daily life within restrictive environments. Their movements reflect a yearning for connection and expression within confined spaces, eventually leading to a symbolic breaking of these barriers.

Louise des Places

Images by María Eleonora Ledesma.