SECRET: 24 videos - 50 min
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SECRET
24 videos - 50 min
TYPE YOUR SECRET - Maria D. Alba (Spain - 1)
HELLO WORLD - Alessandra Arno (Italy - 2)
NO EXIT - Elaine Frigon (Canada - 3)
THE SECRET - Maria Papacharalambous (Cyprus - 4)
NOW YOU KNOW - Angelika Rinnhofer (Germany - 5)
THEN, THU, THU - Bill Kouelany (Republic of Congo Brazzaville - 6)
BENEATH THE SURFACE - Mesrure Melis Bilgin (Turkey - 7)
JOYCE - Sabine Mooibroek (The Netherlands - 8)
EYES - Fatima Mazmouz (Moroco - 9)
TRANSFORMER - Jelena Miscovic (Serbia - 10)
SECRET REFLECTION - Doris Mayer (Austria - 11)
SECRET POEMS: FOR REFUGEES EVERYWHERE - Vouvoula Skoura (Greece - 12)
THE SECRET - Nicoletta Stalder (Switzerland - 13)
SECRET, LIES AND DEAD - Véronique Sapin (France / Canada - 14)
THE HIDDEN GARDEN - Minoo Iranpoor Mobarakeh (Iran - 15)
THE SECRET OF THE LAMBS - Angie Bonino (Peru - 16)
DIVINE ALCHEMY OF KATIPA - Katya Nikonorova (Kazakhstan - 17)
MILK VACUUM 1: Twilight of the White Cube - Helena Martin Franco (Colombia - 18)
IKEA'S SECRET - Áine Phillips (Ireland - 19)
REVELATION - C. M. Judge (United States of America - 20)
EL SECRETO - Amaranta Sanchez (Mexico - 21)
KUNDALINI - Raya Mazigi (Lebanon - 22)
THIS IS NOT A FLOWER - Mouna Jemal Siala (Tunisia - 23)
CHECKPOINT - Maria Rosa Jijon (Ecuador - 24)
THE THREE - Alena Kupcikova (Czech Republic - 25)
Concept
Secret. A word that evokes whispered confidences, unfathomable mystery, and hidden truths. It nestles in the interstices of our lives, in eloquent silences and furtive glances. It is the guardian of our privacy, the sanctuary of our deepest emotions.
Secrets also manifest themselves, of course, in the political and social spheres. They concern civic life and state affairs. They jeopardize democracy, justice, peace, and individual lives. They are often perpetrated by the powerful, political leaders, criminal organizations, and extremists of all stripes. Secrets are a matter of power and freedom.
Artists have always been fascinated by secrets, whether intimate secrets, those of societies, or political powers.
The video works included in the composition SECRET offer perspectives on this fascinating and multifaceted theme through two complementary subthemes: intimate secrets and political and social secrets.
1 - Territory of the Intimate
We are each a closed whole, and yet we seek each other, we find each other.
Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861-1937) - Psychoanalyst and writer
Secrets permeate our personal relationships—from love to friendship—and define the boundaries of our intimacy. Whispers of the heart, echoes of the mind, secrets are their guardians and silent witnesses to our joys, our sorrows, our hopes, and our fears. Our secrets are precious because they define us; they make us unique and singular beings. They are the sanctuary of our being and the reflection of our complexity, our humanity. They are also the place of our freedom. We can reveal them or keep them silent, accept them or deny them.
Our Secret Garden
Intimate secrets reflect our secret garden, the sanctuary of our deepest emotions, our unspoken desires, our most intense experiences. Secrets can also be a refuge from the gaze of others. They can also hide behind a door, the last protection of our individuality, when there is nothing left before us but death.
TYPE YOUR SECRET - Maria D. Alba (Spain - 1)
NO EXIT - Elaine Frigon (Canada - 3)
THE SECRET - Maria Papacharalambous (Cyprus - 4)
NOW YOU KNOW - Angelika Rinnhofer (Germany - 5)
JOYCE - Sabine Mooibroek (The Netherlands - 8)
THE SECRET - Nicoletta Stalder (Switzerland - 13)
THE HIDDEN GARDEN - Minoo Iranpoor Mobarakeh (Iran - 15)
REVELATION - C. M. Judge (United States of America - 20)
In the Secret of Our Bodies
Sexuality, a fundamental component of human beings, is a territory marked by prohibitions, taboos, and unspoken things. These are all fragments of our intimacy that we often choose to keep buried. These secrets are all the more powerful because they are constructed within a given social and cultural context. Works explore these hidden areas of our existence.
THEN, THU, THU - Bill Kouelany (Republic of Congo Brazzaville - 6)
TRANSFORMER - Jelena Miscovic (Serbia - 10)
EL SECRETO - Amaranta Sanchez (Mexico - 21)
KUNDALINI - Raya Mazigi (Lebanon - 22)
THE THREE - Alena Kupcikova (Czech Republic - 25)
2 - In the Shadow of Power
"He who cannot conceal cannot reign." This adage positions secrecy as a place where power is exercised. It presupposes the existence of a community that shares the secret and a separation from those who do not. By identifying conceptions or enactments of secrecy, the artists aim to question a certain conception of power, and consequently, of truth.
Secrets and Spirituality
When linked to spirituality, religions, and certain traditions, secrets can take the form of rituals that strengthen bonds between members, create a sense of exclusivity, and transmit specific values or knowledge. They become markers of group belonging, moments of initiation, and sometimes tools of power. They are officially kept secret to preserve their effectiveness, but sometimes secrecy is a ruse to maintain the power of those who control them. EYES by Fatima Mazmouz (Morocco - 9)
EYES de Fatima Mazmouz (Moroco - 9)
SECRET REFLECTION - Doris Mayer (Austria - 11)
DIVINE ALCHEMY OF KATIPA - Katya Nikonorova (Kazakhstan - 17)
Behind the Scenes of Power
In our globalized world, the complexity of information and communication systems, political decision-making mechanisms, and social relationships, as well as the growing technological advancement and hyper-connectedness of societies, seem to multiply the effects of opacity.
HELLO WORLD - Alessandra Arno (Italy - 2)
BENEATH THE SURFACE - Mesrure Melis Bilgin (Turkey - 7)
MILK VACUUM 1: Twilight of the White Cube - Helena Martin Franco (Colombia - 18)
IKEA'S SECRET - Áine Phillips (Ireland - 19)
Means of Control and Manipulation
Propaganda, disinformation, and censorship are all means of controlling minds. Secrecy then becomes a method for distorting reality and deceiving populations. The works tackle this type of secrecy head-on by shedding light on gray areas.
SECRET, LIES AND DEAD - Véronique Sapin (France / Canada - 14)
THE SECRET OF THE LAMBS - Angie Bonino (Peru - 16)
THIS IS NOT A FLOWER - Mouna Jemal Siala (Tunisia - 23)
Challenge of Resistance
In oppressive regimes, people fighting against abusive powers are often forced to act clandestinely. Secrecy then becomes a means of protection and survival. Artists seize this dimension of secrecy to demonstrate its usefulness, or to transform it into poetry.
SECRET POEMS: FOR REFUGEES EVERYWHERE - Vouvoula Skoura (Greece - 12)
CHECKPOINT - Maria Rosa Jijon (Ecuador - 24)