ICI Paris
April 10 - June 1, 2026
IIC Paris - Hôtel de Galliffet
Originally conceived as a traveling exhibition between Berlin, Vilnius, and Valletta, the project has continued its international journey, first stopping in Belgrade and now in Paris, where it will be hosted in the historic spaces of the Hôtel de Galliffet from April 10 to June 1, 2026. In a city deeply marked by revolutionary tradition and European cultural debate, the exhibition offers a reflection on how individual and collective identities transform over time amid historical memory, mobility, and processes of cultural translation.
Site-specific
For the Paris venue, the exhibition is enriched by a selection of works by Marta Roberti (Un’ape su un viso che piange) and Paola Gandolfi (In tempo per modifiche temporali and Chiamata urbana urgente), works that do not belong to the Farnesina Collection but have been specifically chosen and presented in dialogue with the historic spaces of the Hôtel de Galliffet. Both introduce suspended figures, liminal presences that interrogate identity as a fluid and relational process. On the occasion of the opening, Paola Gandolfi also presented a performance, also titled In tempo per modifiche temporali, conceived specifically for the exhibition, which featured, alongside her, actress Cristina Spina in the role of her mother and Dominique Smersu in the role of her father. The performance brings three generations face to face, exploring the complex and layered relationship between family memory and identity. As the artist states, the bond between mother and daughter is “a substance difficult to hold, to shape, to understand: it slips and burns at the same time… a substance that devastates and captivates.” Through the language of performance, Gandolfi transforms this relationship into a theatrical and symbolic gesture that weaves together autobiography, memory, and representation, opening a space for reflection on how identities are constructed through dialogue.
The venue also features Io sono una carta by Tomaso Binga, which weaves together language, the body, and politics in a poetic gesture of resistance. In the Parisian context, marked by the memory of social upheavals and the events of 1968, Binga’s voice resonates as an invitation to rethink identity as a critical and generative space.
MARTA ROBERTI
Un'ape su un viso che piange (2025)
The sequence of drawings Un'ape su un viso che piange draws from the animated video of the same name and makes visible the process of transformation that pervades the work. In the succession of images, the female face gradually enters into a relationship with the figure of the owl, creating an encounter that suggests a form of alliance between human and animal.
PAOLA GANDOLFI
In tempo per modifiche temporali (2016-2026)
The central theme of the work is the artist’s childhood, as reimagined by the artist herself. Through the interplay of photography and video, Gandolfi constructs a multi-layered narrative that reflects on the transformation of identity over time, presenting the body as an archive of memories and opportunities to rewrite oneself. The works presented are pieces on paper derived from sequences extracted from film footage (which is also on display).
PAOLA GANDOLFI
Chiamata urbana urgente (2022)
The protagonist of the work is the artist’s youth (portrayed as a future bride), manipulated by the artist herself. Through the interweaving of photography and video, Gandolfi constructs a layered narrative that reflects on the transformation of identity over time, presenting the body as an archive of memories and possibilities for rewriting oneself. The works presented are pieces on paper derived from sequences extracted from film footage (which is also on display).
TOMASO BINGA
Io sono una carta (1976)
The poem Io sono una carta, written in 1976, refers to the performance staged that same year at Casa Malangone as part of the environmental installation «Carta da parato», in which the artist, having merged with the wall by wearing wallpaper, recited the poem repeatedly. The work intertwines body, language, and politics, taking the form of an act of poetic resistance that challenges the roles and representations imposed on women.
