Artist Raphaël Barontini reinterprets History, with a particular focus on African and Caribbean events, through fluid and dynamic narratives. His work blends contemporary techniques with archive materials, exploring figuration and the tradition of classical painting. His exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo presents a selection of recent works and unpublished creations, including paintings, costumes and fabrics, displayed in an original scenography inspired by the architecture of the Palais Sans Souci in Haiti. The installation is accompanied by a sound composition by poet and music producer Mike Ladd, which enriches the immersive experience. The exhibition offers a complex narrative, in which the real and the imaginary intertwine, offering a renewed vision of collective imaginations. The title, Somewhere in the Night, the People Dance, takes up a passage from the play The Tragedy of King Christophe by Aimé Césaire. Written in 1963, the text addresses the challenges of the birth of a new Haitian nation after the struggle against slavery and French colonialism in the 18th century. At the center of the story is the complex figure of Henri Christophe, general of the Haitian revolution and self-proclaimed king, architect of the construction of the Palais Sans Souci.
