The newest solo show of Joël Andrianomearisoa at Almine Rech in Paris is a near-Proustian feat, uniting a medley of auditory and visual elements to yield a show that has the slippery feel of our memories and dreams. On view through April 17, “Things and Something to Remember Before Daylight” is anything but crystal-clear: with the guidance of Jérôme Sans’s curation, the gallery is reformulated as a labyrinth. Large curtain-paintings form non-rigid walls which remap the space entirely.
The exhibition’s title is also its soundtrack, as whispered by the French-Algerian pop singer Camelia Jordana. Neon lights, sound, poetry, paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and everyday objects all find themselves on display, elements of the artist’s visual language reimagined and repurposed.
Courtesy of Joël Andrianomearisoa and Almine Rech. Photo by Nicolas Brasseur.
Joël Andrianomearisoa’s Work is About the Act of Making
Fabrics are cut and sewn, spun and woven, knotted and embroidered, providing a thread that weaves its way around the gallery, linking one room to the next. Textile strips are mixed together and transformed into multilayered abstract paintings, imbuing the exhibition space with a profound sense of liminality. Wall hangings are dainty and double-sided, expressing the brittleness of the human experience and the oft-conflicting nature of our feelings.
“The exhibition is not so much a celebration of savoir-faire than an investigation of faire, or the act of making, in what appears as an ode to manual work rather than the prefabricated or industrialised,” said Sans in a statement.
Courtesy of Joël Andrianomearisoa and Almine Rech. Photo by Nicolas Brasseur.
“Things and Something to Remember Before Daylight” suggests the visual manifestation of a Magritte painting: a place where day and night may coincide, where dreams and reality can coexist. It is a poetic nod to the inherent plurality and complexity that lies in each of us. The sensation of multiplicity is only exacerbated by the many different countries and cultures that are present in the gallery.
A Multi-Dimensional Show at Almine Rech
“In keeping with the cold, timeless aesthetics of Minimalism, the artist – albeit paradoxically – successfully includes gesture, individuality, voice, poetry and emotion,” writes Sans.
Andrianomearisoa’s works are produced in Madagascar, Tunisia, Belgium, and France; they travel constantly between worlds and languages, switching with ease between French, Malagasy, and English. Transcending any singular location, this assortment of items and artworks finds its home in all of us.
Joël Andrianomearisoa , “To Be Titled,” 2024, textiles / lames , 130 x 90 cm, 51 x 35 1/2 in Credits: © Joël Andrianomearisoa / Courtesy of the Artist and Almine Rech – Photo: Nicolas Brasseur
“Things and Something to Remember Before Daylight” is on view at Almine Rech now through April 17.
Courtesy of Joël Andrianomearisoa.
