Installation View of Somewhere in the Night, the People Dance, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim
Raphaël Barontini: Somewhere in the Night, the People Dance
Raphaël Barontini’s “Somewhere in the Night, the People Dance” at the Palais de Tokyo explores France’s colonial pastand the legacy of Black resistance heroes, especially from the time of the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). Drawing on figures like Henry Christophe, Toussaint Louverture, and lesser-known female freedom fighters such as Cécile Fatiman and Solitude, Barontini reimagines historical memory through dreamlike costumes, multimedia portraits, and architectural references to Haiti’s royal Sans Souci Palace.
The centerpiece is a grand tapestry of Fatiman on horseback, blending African, European, and Caribbean symbols to assert power, reclaim visibility, and confront historical erasure. The exhibition’s handcrafted, collage-like style acknowledges fragmented histories while making space for creativity and reinterpretation. A second gallery functions like a throne room, filled with spectral figures, robes, and costumes referencing resistance fighters. A sound installation by Mike Ladd deepens the immersive experience with revolutionary and Afro-Caribbean sounds. Barontini also staged a live performance merging Guadeloupean quadrille and hip-hop dance, highlighting embodied resistance across time and culture.
Excerpted words by Meredith Martin for Brooklyn Rail.
