Histoires de points — Anne Paris-Cindric — Brankica Zilovic — Laure Roynette Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: November 18, 2016 → January 14, 2017

Stories in Stitching

The exhibition, “Stories in Stitching,” was conceived from a desire to bring together the work of these two artists who inhabit seemingly different artistic universes but share a common medium, the thread.

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The interest in textile is evident in both artists’ work. Beyond this one aspect of their aesthetic (i.e., women working with a material considered to be ‘feminine’), they use this material not to make a statement about their femininity, as do many contemporary artists, but to instead examine the world itself (as in the work of Brankica Zilovic) or the opposite sex (as with Anne Paris-Cindric). Narrative and text are also important facets of their creations. The text is not meant to be political but instead seeks to start a dialogue: territories, planispheres, and calligraphy in Ziolvic; finely tattooed torsos surrounded by multiple little scenes inspired by popular medieval prints or ‘Toile de Jouy’ curtains in Cindric.

Brankica Zilovic, Totem, 2016 Books, embroidery Courtesy of the artist & Galerie Laure Roynette, Paris

During this exhibition, Cindric will be presenting “LUI” for the first time, a series of artworks depicting male torsos covered in tattoos. Fascinated by the different ways of expressing strength and power, Cindric represents dominance through these hyper-masculine bodies. The artist looks at this male-dominated universe through a feminine, ornamented filter, to represent instead an ambiguous world that appears at the same time harsh yet delicate.

Brankica Zilovic, Detail of Totem, 2016 Books, embroidery Courtesy of the artist & Galerie Laure Roynette, Paris

In her series “LUI,” Cindric presents us with faceless bodies filled with strength surrounded by hunting scenes.

The use of blue India ink, which draws the tattoos and writes the words on the bodies, makes them appear both desirable and fearsome. The paper, purely white with a delicate grain, is like skin that one can caress. The proliferation of red silk thread that pierces, assembles, irrigates like a reserve of blood, and repairs like medical stitching make these bodies ruined and loved at the same time. A unique story seems to manifest within each work; the threads connect and decorate the surrounding scenes with the tattooed bodies, seeming to create narratives at random.