Reiffers Art Initiatives - "No Apologies" Exhibition

Reiffers Art Initiatives, an endowment fund for young contemporary creation and cultural diversity, opened the inaugural exhibition of its mentorship program “NO APOLOGIES” at the Acacias Art Center in October 2021. The exhibition featured work by French artist Kenny Dunkan, under the mentorship of world-renowned artist Rashid Johnson.

It also served as a platform for Kenny Dunkan to discuss the post-colonial heritage of his island. The body itself, a recurring theme for the artist, who never hesitates to use his own black body, was also at the heart of the collection: a fragmented body, diverse and in the making. The title "NO APOLOGIES" ("no excuses") is the artist’s way of adressing the current violence against bodies, whether black, gay, and his refusal to excuse these actions.

Nourished by his exchanges and the advice of the famous Afro-American artist, Kenny Dunkan has proposed an exhibition at the opening of FIAC 2021 in the form of an initiatory journey through monumental and immersive installations, sculptures, videos and photographs, recounted in this exceptional book, which bears witness to a unique creative epic.

Created in collaboration with curator Timothée Chaillou and in partnership with the New York gallery Gavin Brown, the exhibition proposes to explore the theme of light in the artist's work. Bridging Pop Art and Minimalism, the British artist occupies the space with monumental and luminous works that playfully divert everyday objects. Often interwoven with phosphorescent lights, his sculptures intersect with the lights of Paris rooftops visible under the glass roof of the Acacias Art Center.

On the cover, France's favorite personality, Omar Sy, looks like a cowboy out to conquer the West. Based between Paris and Los Angeles, where he is pursuing an international career, the actor, currently starring in John Woo's remake of The Killer (in cinemas October 23), talks about his ambitions.