Screening of *Les Indes Galantes* by Clément Cogitore

*Les Indes Galantes* is an opera-ballet composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1735.

For one of the dances, Rameau drew inspiration from a performance of Native American tribal dances from Louisiana presented in Paris by Metchigaema chiefs in 1723.

Clément Cogitore, in collaboration with the three choreographers Bintou Dembele, Brahim Rachiki, and Igor Carouge, adapts a short excerpt from the ballet using a group of krump dancers—a dance form that originated in the Black ghetto of Los Angeles in the 1990s. It emerged in the wake of the Rodney King beating and the riots that followed, as well as the brutal police crackdown that ensued. In this oppressive atmosphere, young dancers began to embody the violent tensions of the body—physical, social, and political alike.

Both the tribal dance performed in Paris in 1723 and the rebellious Krump dancers of the 1990s offer a reinterpretation of Rameau’s original libretto, featuring young people dancing on the edge of a volcano.

“The body is rarely apolitical in Clément Cogitore’s work, as evidenced by the dancers he directs in his film *Les Indes Galantes*. Cogitore offers a new vision of it—a contemporary reinvention. (...) Through grimaces and intimidation, the dancers’ movements create a powerful catharsis and, in their trance-like state, release socio-political tensions. As Baroque music envelops the dancers’ bodies, the pent-up violence dissipates in waves, and grace emerges—powerful, victorious, and undeniable.”

Les Indes Galantes

2017, Video, HD 16:9, color, 5 min 26 s

Production: 3° Scène – Paris National Opera – Les Films Pelléas Choreographers: Bintou Dembele, Brahim Rachiki, Igor Carouge Cinematography: Sylvain Verdet  

Clément Cogitore

Born in Colmar in 1983, Clément Cogitore lives and works between Paris and Berlin. After studying at Le Fresnoy, the National School of Contemporary Art, he developed his artistic practice at the intersection of contemporary art and cinema. Combining film, video, installations, and photography, he explores the ways in which humanity coexists with its own images and representations. Ritual, collective memory, the representation of the sacred, and a unique conception of the permeability of worlds are all central themes in his work. Cogitore’s work has been screened and exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo, MADRE (Naples), the Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) (London), the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), MACRO (Rome), MoMA (New York), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the MNBA (Quebec City), the SeMA Bunker (Seoul), the Red Brick Art Museum (Beijing), the Kunsthaus Baselland (Basel), and at biennials such as the Lyon Biennale (France), the Berlin Biennale (Germany), and the Yokohama Triennale (Japan).

In 2011, Clément Cogitore received the Grand Award at the Salon de Montrouge for contemporary art, and the following year, he became a resident at the Villa Medici, the French Academy in Rome. His films have been selected and awarded prizes at numerous international film festivals (Cannes, Locarno, Telluride, Los Angeles, San Sebastián). In 2015, his first feature film, “Ni ciel ni terre,” was selected for Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, received an award from the Gan Foundation, was praised by critics, and was nominated for the César Award for Best First Feature Film. That same year, he received the BAL “ Award ” for contemporary art. In 2016, he received the Sciences Po “ Award ” for contemporary art and the 18th Ricard “ Award ” from the Fondation d’entreprise pour l’art contemporain. In 2018, Clément Cogitore received the prestigious Marcel Duchamp “ Award ” for contemporary art. Since 2018, he has been teaching at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he leads a filmmaking workshop.

Clément Cogitore's Website