By drawing tears onto a false face—the face of a shop window mannequin reproducing that of the first Black supermodel of the 1970s—Atiéna Kilfa also blends interior and exterior, but only to confuse them and sow confusion between the living (the tear fluid flowing from real, wet eyes) and the artifact (the smooth, inert face of the plastic resin mannequin). Doubly playing on the duplicity of the image, since it is a large-format photograph (printed on aluminum) whose flatness further accentuates the effect of strangeness and distancing, these Tears in Rain These qualities speak volumes about the virtuosity and inventiveness of the young artist to whom the Kunst Werke / Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin is dedicating a solo show until January 15th, which will then travel to the Camden Arts Centre in London. An artist to watch closely…   

www.camdenartcentre.org 

 Stéphanie Dulout