Chalisée Naamani — Palais de Tokyo
Committed, formally coherent, and visually effective to say the least, Octogone, Chalisée Naamani’s exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, breathes new life into visual vocabularies and symbols by staging a mise-en-scène centered on the geometric shape of the octagon.
However, beyond the triad of virilist passions — power (the combat arena), existential submission (religion), and marketed consumption (fashion) — the irreverence, however sharp, ultimately loses its edge in a reinterpretation that remains confined to visual efficacy. What form of resistance can emerge when reappropriation, no matter how subversive it aims to be, offers no other horizon than the creation of yet more seductive imagery?
The shared imaginary undoubtedly captures the spirit of a generation, but it falls short of urging it to think differently — to reinvent itself by shedding those trappings that, here, seem more celebrated
Without opening cracks in the reading, without derailing or damaging these symbols, the work as a whole reproduces an aesthetic of brute force, getting lost in its own will to power. The critical distance remains faint. And yet, if exhibited and staged with a genuine concern for radical critique, the artist’s singular vision could burst forth in full measure — a vision that is, without a doubt, immensely talented.
