ALBERTO GIACOMETTI / ALI CHERRI : ENVISAGEMENT

The exhibition "Envisagement" presented at the Giacometti Institute engages in a dialogue between the works of Lebanese visual artist and filmmaker Ali Cherri and those of Alberto Giacometti, one of the great masters of modern art. Sharing with Giacometti a particular interest in representing the human head, the artist explores the notion of "envisagement," a term that refers both to the act of envisioning something and to the evocation of the face.

This dual meaning finds a particularly resonant echo in Giacometti's sculptures and paintings, where the human face is both the subject of a relentless pursuit and a realization in progress.

Since 2018, the Giacometti Institute, located in an Art Deco mansion in the XIVth arrondissement of Paris, has been showcasing a reconstruction of the workshop where the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) lived and worked throughout his life, along with temporary exhibition halls, a library, and a collection of graphic works. This Institute serves as the operational arm of the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation, which holds an exceptional collection including 95 paintings, 260 bronzes, 550 plasters, thousands of drawings and engravings, extensive archives, and a large part of the artist's library.

Ali Cherri, a visual artist and filmmaker born in Beirut and based in Paris, explores the temporal gaps between ancient worlds and contemporary societies through his sculptures, drawings, and installations, with a particular focus on the construction of historical narratives around ancient objects. His recent solo exhibitions include "Humble and quiet and soothing as mud" at the Swiss Institute in New York, "Dreamless Sleep" at GAMeC in Bergamo (2023), and the upcoming "Envisagement" at the Giacometti Foundation in Paris (2024).

This exhibition will unveil new creations by Ali Cherri specially designed for the occasion, most of them. These unpublished works will resonate with the rich selection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings by Alberto Giacometti from the Foundation's collections, which perpetuate his work. The exhibition's scenography, original and creative, offers a unique spatial interpretation. Designed as a journey around an assembly of sculpted heads, it reflects the filmmaker's perspective.