Embrace: An Exhibition For The Fesses-tival

The Embrace exhibition, currated by Danniel Tostes and Lari Medawar for the Fesses-tival, invites the visitors to explore and dissect the relationship we have with our body, the affection we give to it, and the sens of community we can get from shared experiences around it.

The exhibition explores a wide range of bodily representations, encompassing dissenting, relational, societal, aging, and unique aspects. Beyond gender and sexuality, Embrace delves into the political, and societal dimensions of the body as a concept. This transdisciplinary and transcontinental project spans poetry, photography, video, visual arts, and digital culture, serving as a platform for contemporary artists from Europe, Africa, and America. Embrace embraces the interplay between body and space, offering a multifaceted experience with varying temporalities.

Embrace delves into the intricate relationship between the body, space, and choreography while addressing the living body's quest for community. Reflecting on the contemporary conditions shaping communities, Embrace questions the impact of communities across different environments and layers. It highlights the interconnexion  between the body, space, and the entities inhabiting it. It urges us to view the body as a dynamic element capable of going through diverse temporalities and spaces.

Embrace emerges within a context where often marginalized groups, including women over 50, mothers, children, and those from racially, ethnically, and gender-diverse backgrounds, struggle for visibility and representation. The project seeks to rectify this by amplifying the voices of its artists and challenging established hierarchies. It aims to provide an authentic portrayal of diversity, dismantling stereotypes and barriers that have kept alive marginalization automatisms. In our evolving cultural landscape, Embrace reimagines representation and actively embraces diversity.

The exhibition is held from September 6th to September 27th at the Forde space in Geneva, and  prioritizes inclusivity and accessibility, with a particular focus on individuals with disabilities, neurodiversity. It is situated on the second floor of L’Usine can be reached via stairs or an elevator (30cm in depth, 80cm wide doors). The elevator also grants access to accessible restrooms on the first floor. The exhibition space is adaptable and guide dogs are welcomed.

Images by Wallace Ferreira, Jamal Nxeldana, Juri Bizzotto, Kairaan Kika, Pascal Isodora, Valeska Romero Curique