"Périot’s work is distinguished for its intense, emotional approach to contemporary and historic political themes." – Sally Berger, Department of Film, Museum of Modern Art

Working with found footage and still photographs of historic events, Jean-Gabriel Périot creates videos of cumulative emotional power, works that tap into deep currents of history and memory.

In these videos, Périot uses diverse editing techniques and digital manipulations to literally run history backward (Undo), reconstruct a devastated Hiroshima (200000 Phantoms), remind us of hidden streams of power and authority in society (The Barbarians) and indict mob rule – even when they’re on "our side" (Even If She Had Been A Criminal…). These hard-hitting works are juxtaposed with shorter, acerbic pieces of irony and wit, skewering the conformities of gay assimilation (Before I Was Sad) and eco-consumerism (#67).

Unifying these works are Périot’s compassion for his subjects, unsentimental view of political resistance, and ability to avoid despair without denying its existence in our world. And his virtuosic repurposing of the resonant footage he finds provides another layer to these works: a deeply ambiguous take on media, imagery, and historical representation.

Périot’s videos have been shown in numerous screenings and exhibitions and on television worldwide, including such venues as the Tate Modern in London. On April 13, together with {Poem 88}, Film Love is proud to host Jean-Gabriel Périot on his first American tour – directly after his first solo screening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist will introduce his work and answer questions.

Jean-Gabriel Périot's Atlanta appearance is supported by the Department of French and Italian at Emory University. We Are Winning, Don't Forget is organized by Amélie Garin-Davet and Steve Holmgren, and is presented with support from UnionDocs and The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the Museum of Modern Art.


PROGRAM
notes below by the artist

Nijuman no borei (200000 Phantoms) (2007), 10 min
"Hiroshima, 1914-2006."

The Devil (2012), 7 min
"’You don’t know what we are.’ A visual history of the American Civil Rights Movement."

Undo (2005), 10 min
"Today’s been sad. Tomorrow won’t get any better. Let’s un-do it all over again."

We Are Winning, Don’t Forget (2004), 7 min
"We are many, we are uniforms, we smile in the pictures, but we are NOT happy."

The Barbarians (2010), 5 min
"If politics were to come back, it could only be from its savage and disreputable fringe. Then, a muffled rumor shall arise whence that roar is heard: ‘We are scum! We are barbarian!’ (Alain Brossat)"

Even If She Had Been A Criminal… (2006), 10 min
"France, Summer 1944. The public punishment of women accused of having affairs with Germans during the war…"

#67 (2012), 2 min
"A film about politics and tomatoes."

Before I Was Sad (2002), 4 min
"Before I Was Sad is a very short animation movie about the utopia of integration. It’s the story of a gay man, sad of the gay way of life and trying to be ‘normal.’ The movie shows ironically that integration could destroy all the differences."

Between Dogs And Wolves (2008), 28 min
"A young man, looking for a job…"


{Poem 88}
White Provision Building
1100 Howell Mill Road, Suite A04
Atlanta GA 30318
404.735.1000
www.poem88.net
Free parking in the garage behind the gallery

JEAN-GABRIEL PÉRIOT IN PERSON is a Film Love event, programmed and hosted by Andy Ditzler for Frequent Small Meals. FILM LOVE promotes awareness of the rich history of experimental and avant-garde film. Through public screenings and events, Film Love preserves the communal viewing experience, provides space for the discussion of film as art, and explores alternative forms of moving image projection and viewing. Film Love was voted Best Film Series in Atlanta by the critics of Creative Loafing in 2006, and was featured in Atlanta Magazine's Best of Atlanta 2009. The series is programmed and hosted by Andy Ditzler for Frequent Small Meals.



Film Love home page

Frequent Small Meals home