Part of Palais de Tokyo’s Spring 2025 program, this exhibition reimagines African and Caribbean histories through vibrant art and performance.
Raphaël Barontini, À la cour d’Henri Christophe, 2022. Acrylic, ink, glitters and silkscreen on canvas, 185 x 305 x 6cm. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago, Paris, Mexico City) © ADAGP, Paris, 2024
Artist Raphaël Barontini reimagines African and Caribbean histories by creating dynamic and fluid narratives that blend contemporary techniques with historical archives. Through his work, Barontini explores figuration and classical painting traditions, offering a selection of recent works and pieces created specifically for the exhibition. The showcase includes paintings, costumes, textiles, sound work, and performance, all presented in original scenography. The exhibition forms a rich and expansive narrative, weaving real and fictional elements to renew collective imaginaries.
The title of the exhibition, ‘Somewhere in the Night, the People Dance’ [Quelque part dans la nuit, le peuple danse], is inspired by a passage from Aimé Césaire’s 1963 play The Tragedy of King Christophe. Césaire’s work examines the challenges faced by the Haitian people in building a new nation after the struggle against slavery and colonisation, focusing on the figure of Henri Christophe, a general in the Haitian revolution and self-proclaimed king. The title also alludes to the collective joy and power that can be found in every culture’s rituals and celebrations.
The Artist: Raphaël Barontini
Raphaël Barontini’s practice challenges the historical canon surrounding territories marked by slavery and colonisation. His work invites the exploration of new narratives that draw from a pluralistic history, creating alternative stories enriched by diverse cultural influences. Barontini’s paintings, flags, banners, tapestries, and ceremonial capes question representations of power, its rituals, and its subversion. He uses a unique visual collage technique that combines photography, screen printing, painting, and digital printing to craft these narratives.
Rather than defining himself as a historian, Barontini sees his role as a storyteller. His extensive research informs the creation of distinctive representations highlighting real and imagined heroes and heroines. His works offer fresh perspectives, reshaping the understanding of history through his lens.
Barontini, born in 1984 in Saint-Denis, where he continues living and working, has been featured in numerous exhibitions worldwide. In 2024, he presented a solo exhibition, ‘I Live a Journey of a Thousand Years’, at the Currier Museum of Art (Manchester, USA). He developed the performance ‘Déboulé Céleste’ for Nuit Blanche. His recent exhibitions include ‘Des grains de poussière sur la mer’ (Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille, 2024), ‘Globalisto’. ‘Une philosophie en mouvement’ (MAMC +, Saint-Étienne, 2022), and ‘Possédé·e·s’ (MO.CO, Montpellier, 2020). He is represented by the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery (Chicago, Paris, Mexico City).
‘Raphaël Barontini: Somewhere in the Night, the People Dance’ forms part of the Spring 2025 program at Palais de Tokyo from February 21 to May 11, 2025. The program includes Rammellzee (‘Alphabeta: Sigma’), Renée Levi (‘La Elle’), and the ‘Collective Joy – Iconographic Project’. Barontini’s work fits this broader context of exploring collective experiences and vibrant cultural expressions. For more information, please visit Palais de Tokyo.
