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On the walls hang imposing works radiating faces, bodies, and gazes. These creations combine photography, collage, and visual construction, inviting deep reflection. Political, poetic, and humanistic all at once. These works, which will be on display at the Wall House Territorial Museum until April 18, are the result of the work of American artist Sarah Cooper and Austrian artist Nina Gorfer. Entitled "Between these folded walls, utopia," the exhibition will open this Saturday, February 28, at 6 p.m.
Dressed in a light black dress, Sarah Cooper flashes a broad smile. Standing alongside Wall House director Charles Moreau, she talks about the long (since 2006) and deep artistic relationship she has with her creative partner, Nina Gorfer, as well as this project, which came about in 2017 after a conversation with a friend who teaches young migrants. "It's a project that spanned three years and was completed in 2020," explains the artist. "We interviewed women who all had a history of forced migration, from countries such as Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan... We conducted numerous interviews before picking up a camera."
Mythological heroines
When they embarked on their project, the two artists were living in Gothenburg, Sweden. "We wanted to approach this period in our own way, to express our own feelings within our community," explains Sarah Cooper. "But it's interesting to note that since then, the exhibition has taken on a new meaning, another dimension. Because, unfortunately, the subject is more relevant than ever."
Organized and presented in collaboration with the St Barth Ile d'Art association and Fotografiska, the global destination for photography, visual arts, and culture, the exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in a utopian theater, a visual universe in which the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. The women, often young, who appear in the works are depicted as mythological heroines. Yet they are very real beings of flesh, blood, and feelings. Faced with a world marked by wars, migrations, and climate disasters, Sarah Cooper and Nina Gorfer turned to their close communities to find an explanation for what they see as the loss of a collective utopia. This long and meticulous work has enabled them to exhibit their creations at the Hasselblad Center in Gothenburg, the National Museum of Photography in Copenhagen, Fotografiska Stockholm in New York, and, starting Saturday, in Saint Barthélemy.
"When we heard that the exhibition had been chosen for Saint Barthélemy, we wondered why," smiles Sarah. "Then we discovered the history of the island, which was a Swedish colony and participated in the slave trade. It's a little-known history, but it ties in with our work because it involves people who were brought here by force and others who ended up here for various reasons, and today they have managed to turn it into a magnificent place, despite the wounds of the past."
Most of the works on display at the Wall House are inspired by classical painting but also by more introspective visions, such as those of Frida Kahlo. Each one tells the story of a young woman and her experiences through dreamlike landscapes, theatrical drapery, and elegant, sophisticated poses reminiscent of those reserved for royalty. "We tend to work with a classical gaze, that of the woman staring at the viewer," explains Sarah Cooper. "We like the idea of Amazonian women; you almost feel as if they could crush you with their gaze."
The exhibition opens this Saturday at 6 p.m.
Museum opening hours
Free admission.
Tuesday: 2pm-7pm
Wednesday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. then 2 p.m.–7 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. then 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. then 2 p.m.–7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. then 2 p.m.–7 p.m.
