Camille Henrot’s film Grosse fatigue, which received the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale, was made with the help of an artistic research grant from the Smithsonian Institution (Washington) in 2013. Inspired by the Smithsonian’s encyclopaedic concept and scientific collections, she embarked on an attempt to collect stories about the creation of the world in African, Western, Melanesian, and Asian cultures. Thus, Grosse fatigue functions as a long non-linear poem that articulates these different narratives and images, but also, according to the artist, as an “experience of density” built on the principle of a Google search. Henrot, who is interested in postcolonial issues, invites us to reflect on the authenticity of objects and their collection by Western societies. The recited text is an open reflection that guides the spectator through the continuous flow of images. Henrot sums up her approach in these terms: “What interests me is to bring knowledge to life as a physical experience, not as something to be acquired.”

Text written by Marianne Tricoire as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.

© ADAGP Paris, 2015

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