Reiffers Art Initiatives - "No Apologies" Exhibition
The Acacias Art Center hosted Kenny Dunkan's "No Apologies" exhibition in October 2021. This marked the first Reiffers Art Initiatives mentorship program exhibition under the mentorship of American artist Rashid Johnson.
“I have too often apologized to myself for being who I am," says the artist. “Because of my skin color, my sexuality...Today, I don't want to apologize for being the person I am anymore."
– Kenny Dunkan.
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.
"NO APOLOGIES" delved into the artist's thoughts on his Caribbean heritage. Each installation formed a microclimate, drawing on the cultural richness of Guadeloupe ౼ from the aesthetic and symbolic power of carnival to mythologies and magical and religious beliefs.
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.
NO APOLOGIES is the inaugural programme of the Reiffers Art Initiatives mentorship with the support of Mazarine, La Mode en Images and the Acacias Art Center. Kenny Dunkan, the first artist to receive the award, has continued an in-depth dialogue with his mentor Rashid Johnson.
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.
Reiffers Art Initiatives is a foundation created to support young contemporary creation and cultural diversity.
Reiffers Art Initiatives’ mission is to support France’s new art scene and give it international visibility. It finances and gives exposure to thirty emerging artists every year, who will influence tomorrow’s contemporary art scene.