Book published on the occasion of Mélanie Matranga’s solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, “反复,” 21.10 2015 – 10.01 2016
Read an extract
Buy in ePub format
Conceived as an emotional structure, “反复,” Mélanie Matranga’s exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo is intentionally equivocal. Its very title—in Mandarin—puts us in an awkward situation, just as when we need to ask a stranger our way in an unknown city, or when we have to admit our inability to understand a message before being even able to start a conversation.
Mélanie Matranga combines in her exhibition signs that reflect upon interiority with elements linked to social attitudes and habits. We find ourselves amid familiar objects and generic forms, in situations where self-expression, paradoxically, is possible only once identity is lost. They are places to be alone with others.

Book contents
– “Complex or Complicated”: A conversation between Mélanie Matranga, Thomas Boutoux and Benjamin Thorel.
– “Speaking and Cursing in Song”: An essay by Delphine Manetta.
– “Into Words, Into Action”: An essay by Julien Mahon.

About the authors
– Thomas Boutoux and Benjamin Thorel are the curators of Mélanie Matranga’s solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo.
– Delphine Manetta is an ethnologist.
– Julien Mahon is a cinema critic.