Backslash announce Transmutations, a solo show of works by Emo de Medeiros curated by Manuela de Barros.

Transmutations is an exploration of de Medeiros’ recent works, designed as a journey of initiation that spans three continents (Africa, Asia and Europe), contexturing art with transcendence, spirituality with technology, narration with History, information with transformation.

The exhibition is inspired by the idea of the monomyth, a word coined by James Joyce in Finnegans Wake and introduced by Joseph Campbell in his seminal work The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell tells us that: ‘A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won. The hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.’ The show is structured around a series of stations, each one symbolic of archetypal heroic adventures.

Transmutations guides visitors though the history and experience of a philosopher’s transformation.

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Opening on Saturday, September 3, from 2 to 9 pm

Opening Night of the Haut Marais’ Galleries Thursday, September 15

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Emo de Medeiros lives and works in Cotonou (Benin) and Paris (France). He studied at ENS (Paris/Ulm), ENSBA (Paris), and the Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt). His work has been exhibited in many institutions, including the Palais de Tokyo in 2014, and recently at the Marrakech and Dakar biennales.

Manuela de Barros, curator of Transmutations, is also a philosopher and art theorist. Her work examines the modifications wrought by new technologies and the interactions between science, fictional creation and aesthetics.

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www.backslashgallery.com