Chantal Akerman and Keren Cytter: Perfomative Cinema in Paris

Two exhibitions in Paris explore performative cinema, where film becomes a space for real-time recording and temporal loops. Chantal Akerman's 'Maniac Summer' at Galerie Marian Goodman (Dec 5, 2009 – Jan 9, 2010) presents a film as a distributive space and recording device, continuing from her previous work 'Là-bas'. The installation 'D'un film orphelin à l'autre, en devenir' features multiple desynchronized screens filming the artist's daily life during summer, creating an echo chamber that explores disappearance and erased traces. Urban views from the window evoke Robert Siodmak's 'People on Sunday' and Seurat's paintings. Meanwhile, Keren Cytter's first solo exhibition in France at Frac Île-de-France / Le Plateau (Dec 9, 2009 – Feb 14, 2010) showcases works from 2006 to 2009, including 'Repulsion', 'Il s'est passé quelque chose', 'Les Quatre Saisons', and 'Der Spiegel / le Miroir'. Cytter's films function as search engines generating narrative possibilities, with temporal ellipses and disorienting editing that progressively derealize the story. The exhibitions highlight how both artists use performance to de-subjectivize gestures and create new temporalities.