I DON’T WANT TO ANSWER WITH A SIMPLE YES

Solo show
Wilde Gallery
Geneva
May - June 2024

«Something like a stain in a garment that will not come out no matter how often one tries to wash it…»

Yukio Mishima, Forbidden Colors, 1951

EN

The body is always central to Joachim Perez’s work, whether through his performances, installations, or embroideries. Thus, the exhibition «I DON’T WANT TO ANSWER WITH A SIMPLE YES» explores the vast territories of desire through the lens of his own experience and the literary echoes that have shaped his artistic expression. Using vintage textiles found in flea markets around the prefectures of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Chiba, the Franco-Swiss artist weaves a visual narrative where each stitch and fold carries multiple and complex meanings.

Perez skillfully integrates the use of clothing patterns into his works, transforming these sewing guides into complex canvases that reveal human interactions, the marks of time, and the wear of materials. These patterns, often perceived as simple tools in garment construction, are reimagined here as vectors of desire and memory, revealing how each trace on the fabric can become an unexpected visual narrative. This transformation is paralleled with his prints, where black ink deposited on the backs of cut linoleum pieces embodies a new visual language.

Thus, the elements not only coexist but intertwine to form a poetics of relation. This interweaving, far from mere juxtaposition, engages in a dialogue where each texture, each motif, permeates the other, akin to Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the «rhizome.» In their philosophy, they conceptualize the rhizome as a non-hierarchical and non-linear mode of thought, where connections and heterogeneities meet and mutually reinforce each other, allowing the creation of new ideas and forms without a predefined center or point of origin. Contrary to what a superficial glance might perceive, upon closer examination of Joachim Perez’s works, it is evident that the textile is not merely a support; it becomes an actor in encounters. The fabric then meets the body in an interaction that evokes a desire never fully satisfied, leaving room for an incessant movement of quest and exploration.

The title of the exhibition, «I DON’T WANT TO ANSWER WITH A SIMPLE YES» suggests an intrinsic complexity in responding to an unspoken question, thus reflecting the multiple dimensions and interweaving of the presented works. This choice of title evokes the often elusive and enigmatic nature of desire, a central theme in Joachim Perez’s works inspired by the writings of Jean Genet, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Walt Whitman, where desire is rarely simple and unidirectional but rather a complex weaving of emotions, identities, and relationships.

– Chiara Caterina Ortelli