KADIST Paris presents the exhibition Nothing but the Truth, an exploration of the power of collective narratives and storytelling as a critical tool, based on a selection of works from its collection and the participation of other invited artists. Conceived as a space for transmission and confrontation of experiences, this exhibition brings together a dozen international artists who question prevailing narratives in our contemporary societies and our connection to reality.
In a context marked by major social and political upheavals, Nothing but the Truth highlights the role of fiction as a tool of resistance and a means of deciphering reality. The artists featured deploy narrative strategies that challenge dominant discourses and offer new perspectives on contemporary realities through various videos, installations, photographs, sculptures, and texts.
Nothing but the Truth reveals recurring artistic mechanisms, notably the use of discomfort and uncertainty as storytelling tools. By exploring the violence of constructed spaces—whether architectural, historical, institutional, or memorial—the artists summon unsettling fictions that disrupt, question, and overturn the established order.
Starting point of the exhibition, the video works of Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc (ça va, ça va, on continue; Secteur IX B), Ghita Skali (The Hole Journey; The Invaders), and Bahar Noorizadeh (After Scarcity; The Red City of the Planet of Capitalism) blend political fable, essay, and experimental fiction.
At the same time, all three artists develop practices that exist outside, within, or alongside the field of art, engaging in a dynamic of knowledge transmission and collective construction. The exhibition has thus been built around their works and conversations held with curator Flora Fettah, with the intention of linking research subjects and working methods.
This dialogue is also enriched by the works of invited artists, as well as by the contribution of Mercedes Azpilicueta, who co- conceives the space and public reception through her palimpsest work Potatoes, Riots and Other Imaginaries. It is also accompanied by the organization of a free monthly event within the KADIST space, as well as an editorial collaboration between the Asameena collective and the Palais de Tokyo.
Artists: Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc, Asameena, Mercedes Azpilicueta, Salim Bayri, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Fehras Publishing Practices, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Bahar Noorizadeh, Ghita Skali, Eden Tinto Collins & Gystere.
Press release from KADIST Paris
Image: Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc. ça va, ça va, on continue. 2012. Image courtesy of the artist
