Eija-Liisa Ahtila's 'The Annunciation' at Galerie Marian Goodman, Paris

Eija-Liisa Ahtila's three-screen video installation 'The Annunciation' at Galerie Marian Goodman in Paris (December 4, 2010 – January 8, 2011) reinterprets the biblical Annunciation through a contemporary, polyphonic lens. The work features amateur actresses—'women in difficulty'—including Kati Outinen, a Kaurismäki regular, who perform a reenactment of the Annunciation. Ahtila uses birds (crows, seagulls, pigeons) as angelic signs and juxtaposes sacred and profane elements, such as a coffee machine in a theatrical rehearsal. The installation balances narrative and plasticity, with synchronized screens and documentary-style footage. Critic Dominique Païni praises the work's narrative efficiency, empathy for characters, and formal vigilance, noting that Ahtila directly engages with the 'annunciatory device' that has obsessed filmmakers like Dreyer, Bresson, Hitchcock, Rossellini, Godard, Pasolini, and Scorsese. The piece explores themes of figuration, perspective, and the coexistence of human and divine realms.