Raphaël Barontini, Cécile Fatiman, la princesse du royaume du Nord, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim
Raphaël Barontini: "The aesthetic, historical, and mythological blending is essential to my artistic approach."
In this article for Les Inrockuptibles, Raphaël Barontini meets Jean-Marie Durand to discuss his upcoming solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, titled Quelque part dans la nuit, le peuple danse.
Drawing inspiration from Aimé Césaire’s La Tragédie du roi Christophe, Barontini reinterprets African and Caribbean history, emphasizing the importance of collective action. He reflects on his artistic journey, noting how his work has gained recognition in the U.S. before France, and how his time in New York helped shape his artistic vision, especially his exploration of African-American and Caribbean heritage.
Barontini aligns himself with the growing recognition of postcolonial themes within the French art world, citing contemporaries such as Josèfa Ntjam and Mohamed Bourouissa. He discusses how his work—combining painting, collage, and performance—incorporates historical and iconographic research, with a particular focus on the history of colonialism, Haiti, and the African diaspora. He highlights how figures like Césaire and Édouard Glissant influence his artistic approach, especially their philosophies on creolization and cultural hybridity. Barontini also reflects on how his interest in performance developed, particularly through collaborations with carnival groups and a focus on collective cultural expression.
