(Image from the exhibition opening. Courtesy of the curator, made by Vyacheslav Iroshnikov)
Five Artists Reflect on the Body in New Paris Exhibition
Artverse Gallery in Paris is currently hosting My Body Language, a group show curated by Olena Yara. The exhibition opened on March 20 and runs until April 3.
Bringing together five artists — Artem Humilevskyi, Lindsay Kokoska, Pauline Faieff, Solimán López, and Zhannet Podobed — the exhibition unfolds as a quiet yet probing exploration of the body as both subject and narrator. Rather than offering fixed interpretations, the works create space for introspection, encouraging viewers to reconsider their own relationship with embodiment.
The gallery’s main floor is devoted to physical works, each engaging the body from a distinct perspective.
Artem Humilevskyi’s photographic series is centered on intimate, often nude self-portraits. His work Yarilo anchors the exhibition symbolically. Drawing on the Slavic deity associated with spring and renewal, the piece resonates with the exhibition’s opening on March 20 — the first day of spring in France. In The Apple Tree, Humilevskyi appears alongside his son, using a tender visual language to reflect on lineage, identity, and continuity.
(Apple Tree by Artem Humilevskyi)
In contrast, Solimán López presents a body shaped by data, systems, and digital structures. His practice, rooted in new media and biotechnology, examines how identity is constructed and mediated in contemporary technological environments. In Neonumens, López interrogates the hierarchy of social media, positioning influencers as modern-day digital deities. Through manipulated Instagram visuals and algorithmically generated environments, he exposes the invisible forces that guide perception and attention.
(Image featuring the curator in front of Neonumens and Human 121 works__)
His large-scale installation Human 121 further extends this inquiry. Displaying only 2% of data collected from 125 nude participants, the work questions the very notion of representation: how much information is required to define a human presence? Surrounding works (like Manifesto Terrícola) expand on themes of memory, ecology, and technology, incorporating elements such as DNA, bacteria, and conceptual texts.
Lindsay Kokoska’s contribution offers a more introspective experience. Her seven works draw from years of meditation and yoga practice, merging traditional techniques with animation and generative AI. The resulting environments invite stillness, offering viewers a moment to slow down and shift inward.
(Sunset Kombucha series, artist Zhannet Podobed, Artverse Gallery. Courtesy of the curator)
Sunset Kombucha series by Zhannet Podobed emerges from a deeply personal context. Created at the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the works were inspired by her time in Odesa, where the steady movement of the sea became a source of calm amid uncertainty. Pieces such as Radiance, Harmony, Love, and Faith translate these moments into abstract compositions that explore vulnerability, emotion, and intuition without imposing fixed meaning.
Pauline Faieff’s works challenge the frameworks through which bodies are typically viewed and categorized. The three works from her Frame Series pose a deceptively simple question: Does framing alter how a body is seen? Referencing the tradition of classical nudes, Faieff contrasts historical acceptance with ongoing censorship — particularly of female bodies depicted by women. The mirrored frames reflect the viewer, blurring the distance between observer and subject and raising a subtle provocation: who, in fact, is being framed?
Extending beyond static works, the exhibition opening included a participatory dance workshop. Designed as an immersive and vulnerable experience, it invited visitors to engage with their own physical presence in real time.
(Image from the exhibition opening. Courtesy of the curator, made by Vyacheslav Iroshnikov)
“Including a dancing workshop felt risky. I knew it might make some people uncomfortable. But I’ve always felt that my body can let me down, that it can look awkward or out of place, especially in front of others. This was a way to confront that fear and let the body speak. I’m happy that some visitors allowed themselves to experience what was intended.”
- Olena Yara, curator
On display at Artverse Gallery until April 3, the show challenges visitors to look inward. Rather than presenting the body as a distant object of study, the exhibition compels an intimate confrontation, urging the viewer to feel and understand the physical self in a new light
Press Contact
Olena Yara
Curator
[email protected]
