"La Morsure des Termites" at the Palais de Tokyo: when graffiti meets art history

At the heart of the Palais de Tokyo, a singular exhibition entitled La Morsure des Termites invites visitors to explore the history of art through the fascinating prism of graffiti, playing out over the summer from October 19, 2023 to January 7, 2024. More than just an aesthetic or a subject, it's the intrinsic experience of graffiti that is highlighted. This exploration takes the form of an experience of illegality, wandering and the attraction of shady perspectives, but also a questioning of the romanticism of vandalism, highlighting both its potential degradation and the care given to damaged surfaces.

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This journey through artistic time and space engenders a rich but sometimes cryptic dialogue between some fifty artists. Inspired by the words of Manny Farber in his 1962 essay, the exhibition contrasts "termite" artists with "white elephants". While the latter deploy authoritative and seductive techniques and imaginaries, termite artists evolve in more evasive languages and practices, constantly attacking their own constraints. Their artistic progress generally manifests itself in signs of all-consuming, hard-working yet chaotic activity.

True to its name, La Morsure des Termites is structurally conceived as an invisible city, echoingItalo Calvino's Le Città invisibili. Entering this exhibition is like entering Tamara 's city: a city where every street, every sign, every figure doesn't simply represent one thing, but suggests a multitude of hidden meanings. So, if you're looking for an artistic experience that defies the norm and plays with your perceptions, head to the Palais de Tokyo for an immersion in the world of artistic termites.