
Undawn, End 1
Exhibition views, “tresser”, Jimmy Beauquesne, Omar Castillo, Alfaro et David Weishaar. Courtesy DS Galerie, Paris. Credit : Romain Darnaud
UNDAWN is a hybrid project exploring narration and linearity in storytelling. This project tells, in a fragmented manner, a dystopian tale about the end of humanity as we know it and its transformation into Sylveon (a Pokémon whose colors have made it a queer symbol).
The story begins with a series of drawings that form the first chapters of a philosophical tale, but it also unfolds through various forms and collaborations. I invited various artists and a neuroscience researcher to engage with this tale, adapt it, and enrich the narrative threads.
The whole world was engrossed in watching the "Boys Planet" Show. The contestants were forming heart shapes with their hands, and the camera lingered on each gesture, as if capturing a moment of profound significance. Around me, everyone imitated them, their fingers struggling to mimic the intricate movements and shape invisible hearts.
When the show ended, all fingers continued to dance in a mesmerizing rhythm, creating an eternal ritual of love illuminated by the glow of my screen saver.
Time slowed down, and for a fleeting moment, I experienced eternal bliss as it transformed everything around me.
Around, the crisis was causing a shift in the very fabric of the world, but I remained unchanged in my armor, alone. An anxiety tightened the back of my throat; I had felt this loneliness before, like a promise.
Maybe I was trying to stop the phenomenon or become a part of it. My stiff gloves articulated hearts without conviction; I was sweating... what I mean is, faith was leaving my bones.
Every living being transformed into a multitude of Sylveon, the sky took on a new hue, and an overall sense of quietness filled the air.
In this fluid and bizarre world, the Sylveons floated through the air, calling out to me in a language I couldn't comprehend. However, within my domain of stasis, I remained unchanged, a mere observer of the beauty that surrounded me.
Exhibition views, “tresser”, Jimmy Beauquesne, Omar Castillo, Alfaro et David Weishaar. Courtesy DS Galerie, Paris. Credit : Romain Darnaud
Exhibition view, UNDAWN, 2024, Fragment, New-York
Exhibition text by Beth Fisher, Florian Buffard and Juliette Jaffeux, 2024