On November 8, 2005, Jacques Chirac, former PM of France, declares a state of emergency, a product of the riots born in Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb of Paris. In this particular banlieue, there is no Paris metro, no regional nor suburban rail service available to or from the city. Despite the relative isolation, explosive anger, and discontent found its way into the hands of French youth who took to the streets in over 200 French cities airing their frustration with high unemployment rates and the government’s general disregard for youth of African, Arab, and Caribbean descent.
When President Chirac declared a state of emergency, Alexis Peskine erected the French Evolution.
Alexis Peskine unveiled his exhibit, French Evolution: Race, Politics, and the 2005 Riots at MoCADA last month. Peskine, a visual artist of French and Brazilian descent, deemed it necessary to resurrect the greater Parisian community from its collective historical myopia by pointing out that, "France has evolved as a culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse country" thus "making it difficult for Black and Arab French people who don’t feel at home in our own country." French Evolution explores the social and political implications of the 2005 riots and everyday discriminatory realities via 15 mixed-media works set to the backdrop of video footage including Peskine’s dimensional "nail pieces" or pictorial images constructed with nails.
Peskine’s work juxtaposes the sentiments and experiences witnessed among the African, Arab, and Caribbean Parisian community with emblematic symbols of abandonment. Appreciated and owned by musicians Common, Donald Byrd and Talib Kweli, Peskine’s work challenges the audience to reexamine the idea of marginalization.
French Evolution not only exposes inequality, but exposes Americans to a Europe less traveled. It allows African American youth to become "aware of contrast, and provides a context for one’s own existence, exposure, and knowledge of place and time," explains Kimberli Grant, exhibit curator at MoCADA. Although public transport disregards accessibility to Clichy-sous-Bois, Peskine’s French Evolution creates a visual footpath for French youth abroad.
The exhibition also includes the following public programs designed to foster exchange and dialogue between museum visitors and Alexis Peskine:
Thursday, June 14
Artist’s Talk with Alexis Peskine (English/French)
Location: MoCADA
Saturday, June 23
Panel Discussion: Racial Dynamics in France
Location: Brooklyn Central Library, Grand Army Plaza
Saturday, July 14
Public Program: A Celebration of Liberation: Bastille Day
Location: MoCADA
Friday, July 27
Film Screening: La Haine (Hate)
Location: Spike Lee Screening Room, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus
Friday, August 10
Film Screening: Days of Glory
Location: Spike Lee Screening Room, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus
