«La Porte, derrière la porte, qu'est-ce qu'il y a derrière la porte»..? Triennale de Paris, Palais de Tokyo 2012, photo: Stephan Köhler, Collection of the artist.
20. April - 26. August 2012
«La Porte, derrière la porte, qu'est-ce qu'il y a derrière la porte»..?
Palais de Tokyo, Paris
Okwui Enwezor asked Georges Adéagbo to create a new work for his Paris Triennial entitled “Intense Proximity” 2012. "La Porte: Derrière la porte"..! What is behind the door..?" is a question often asked when meeting someone for the first time. Georges Adéagbo (Dahomey/Benin 1942) reflects on this concept in his work, contemplating what a person reveals about their character, thoughts, judgments, and what they hide from us. The door can be a mask behind which we conceal our true selves and emotions, yet it also allows us to open up and let trusted individuals enter.
By integrating dozens of newspapers, magazines, and books published during Adéagbo's production and installation of "La Porte: Derrière la porte"! he analyzes how a society constructs its facade, its public identity through which it positions itself in geopolitical contexts and rivalries. The Triennale de Paris took place at the Palais de Tokyo, inaugurated by Nicolas Sarkozy while artists worked nearby—a cultural-political maneuver widely discussed by Adéagbo. In his writings, he questions political events described by journalists and asks about the ethics of those in power, their decisions made, and what happens "behind closed doors," secretly without the public's knowledge. Adéagbo often says, "my assemblies are like a court; all actions leave traces, things testify to what was done. I gather elements of conviction and let visitors draw their conclusions and make judgments."
Photo: Stephan Köhler. Courtesy: Kulturforum Süd-Nord.
"The door, behind the door, what is behind the door?" 2012.
Contribution to the Paris Triennial “Intense Proximity” curated by Okwui Enwezor. Collection of the artist.
Venue: Palais de Tokyo, Paris. © Georges Adéagbo.
In a letter to Okwui with a proposition for his new Paris Triennial installation Adéagbo wrote:
„A true creator cannot and could not refuse to another not to create, a creator who knows and understands what he creates, for letting whomever who desires to create, create...! “
(Un vrai créateur, ne peut pas et ne pouvait pas refuser à d’autre de ne pas créer, un créateur qui sait pour connaitre ce qu’il crée, pour toujours laisser quiconque désirant créer, créer..!) (Adéagbo 2011)
