Rhinocéros /Bérenger, 2018

The reference of this work is to be found in my renewed interest, activated by the current polarized social and political climate, of the play Rhinocéros (1959) by E. Ionesco where over the course of three acts, the inhabitants of a small, provincial French town turn into rhinoceroses; ultimately the only human who does not succumb to this mass meta- morphosis is the central character, Bérenger. The play follows the struggle of this self-focused and ambiguous every- man against the town collective who inexplicably, one after another, elect to transform into rhinos. Should he follow the herd, become one of the thickskinned masses, or remain ever alone and on the defensive? The play is often read as a response and criticism to the sudden upsurge of Fascism and Nazism during the events preceding World War II, and explores the themes of conformity, culture, fascism, responsibility, logic, mass movements, mob mentality, philosophy and morality.

Rhinocéros/Bérenger offers a comparatively simple visual premise: two images of domestic intercom systems bearing a name on their respective name-holder with buzzer, ‚Rhinoceros‘ and ‚Bérenger‘ respectively. Simple enough to make the viewer question how much they need to know about the work before attempting to decode it. The two items are never mentioned in the play but were triggered in deciphering some mechanisms that I saw deployed in the text. It’s clear that in front of them we are at a threshold, the “crossing” of which involves an absurd decision with an unknowable conclusion. But, of course, further investigation might brings with it the possibility of more expansive interpretations. The viewers of these two intercoms might find that the stage may be set, but ultimately, the choice is ours.

The notion of resisting conformity in front of discourses from every corner of the political spectrum runs in some of my works, specifically when it comes to the agency of the individual.