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Rafael Domenech at Passerelle Centre d’art contemporain

December 2, 2022

Artist: Rafael Domenech

Exhibition title: the other square with no corners

Venue: Passerelle Centre d’art contemporain, Brest, France

Date: October 14, 2022 – January 14, 2023

Photography: ©Aurélien Mole / all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Passerelle Centre d’art contemporain

Rafael Domenech (born in 1989) has chosen Passerelle Centre d’Art Contemporain for his first exhibition in France. A few years ago he moved to New York after first leaving his home island of Cuba for Miami. He finished his studies at Columbia University, and was deeply influenced by the teaching of his art teacher and friend, Rirkrit Tiravanija, a champion of Relational Aesthetics. This concept does not refer to a specific group of artists but to a way of creating art in relation to others. Domenech became part of this way of thinking about participatory art that engaged the public. His works are therefore architecture to live in or sculptures to handle and are interested in the social fabric and history of a place.

One of the fundamental questions asked by Domenech when he accepted this invitation to put on an exhibition in France, and in Brittany in particular, was how he should position himself as a Cuban American in a country, context and culture where he was a foreigner. He wished to avoid any hegemony or cultural imperialism and was seeking a dialogue which was yet to be defined. During his visit to prepare his exhibition, as he strolled around the town, Domenech was fascinated by the profusion of socially and politically committed messages in the area of Saint Martin where Passerelle is located. He noticed stylised anti-fascist stickers, graphic slogans and posters that were sometimes militant and sometimes advertising various public events. So he settled on the title of ‘the other square with no corners’, as both a homage and a comparison, evoking Place Guérin, the famous square in Brest, known for its intermingling of people and ideas. In a spirit of co-creation and of sharing the tool which the art centre provides, Domenech informally invites local creators who produce activist images to come and take part in his exhibition.

At the same time, the Passerelle building itself becomes a playmate you can exchange ideas with. Its raw and light-filled architecture along with its activities related to live spectacle inspired him to produce an installation in the form of a theatre with tiered seating where you can rest or watch events. Seeking to understand the history and context of the art centre, Domenech also wanted to highlight the Passerelle archives and, in particular, to show the graphic artwork of past exhibitions and events of especial significance to him. Text and graphic design are indeed essential to his practice as an artist, and he calls his sculptural works ‘books’. For several years he has been making objects that are halfway between books and sculptures, with lots of pages yet outside the classic definition of what constitutes a book. Domenech also uses this word, bearing no connection to the field of visual arts, because his objects can be touched and, in a way, read. This format also allows him travel with his works easily and to envisage the relationship with transport and production from a new angle. The artist prefers to produce the maximum number of pieces in situ, always in relation to the location, and limits himself to adding a few books designed beforehand in his studio. He wishes to avoid absurdly expensive transport costs and to recycle objects he has found locally. His is an ecological approach as much as a sensible economic one.

The Passerelle exhibition is presented like the books he collects so avidly. It contains several chapters, and opens up and unfolds like a book; it is both intimate and to be shared, as well as being a social experience.