L’Ennemi de mon ennemi is a project by Neïl Beloufa, commissioned by Palais de Tokyo. It consists of a scenographic dispositive that represents a chaotic and fragmented vision of the ways in which history is written and in which power is legitimized in the contemporary era.

Drawing inspiration from official communication, memorials, museums of war, and political propaganda as well as contemporary events, advertising, and video games, the exhibition explores the interchangeability of strategies and discourses. In doing so, it plays upon the permanent ambiguity between good and evil, heroes and villains, postures and impostures.

The scenographic dispositive, specially created by the artist for this exhibition, integrates works of art, documents, images, artefacts, reproductions and objects that are constantly moved around by robotic elements according to an algorithmic programme. The dispositive thus allows for a constant reappraisal of possible associations, perspectives and meanings.

L’Ennemi de mon ennemi envisages the world as a field of contradictory yet comparable strategies. In doing so, it subtly questions the place of the artist within the multiplicity of powers that it evokes, between desires of autonomy, servitude, and propaganda.

After Les inoubliables prises d’autonomie in 2012, L’ennemi de mon ennemi is Neïl Beloufa’s second exhibition at Palais de Tokyo. This project offers a new means of apprehending the work of this young artist who has continuously questioned his own artistic practice as well as his means of production.

With the participation of: Camille Blatrix, Barbara Bloom, Gregoire Beil, Bibliothèque de documentation internationale contemporaine (Paris), Johannes Büttner, Colectivo Acciones de Arte, Ken Campbell et David King, Ellen Cantor, Grégoire Chamayou, Gustave Courbet, Louis-Auguste Déchelette, Eversim, Jean-Luc Godard, ECPAD – Établissement de Communication et de Production Audiovisuelle de la Défense (Ivry-sur-Seine), Thomas Hirschhorn, Holy Defense Museum (Tehran, Iran), House of National Works Museum (Koweït, Koweït), Alfred Janniot, Jon Kessler, Elizabeth Lennard, Martyrs Museum (Misrata, Libya), Vann Nath, National Army Museum (London, United Kingdom), Pablo Picasso, Sigmar Polke, William Pope L., Hito Steyerl, Joseph Tchaïkov…

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