Saâdane Afif - Biography, exhibitions, news and artist's artworks

Saâdane Afif was born in 1979 at Vendôme in France. He lives and works in Berlin. 

A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts de Bourges, Saâdane Afif is one of the most acclaimed French artists of his generation. His work questions various media (performances, objects, texts and printed materials) without fitting into any particular artistic category or discipline. All his projects are subject to a continuous process of alteration.

He has had numerous solo exhibitions including Lyrics at Palais de Tokyo in 2005, Technical Specifications at Witte de With, Rotterdam in 2008 and Anthology of Black Humour at MMK Frankfurt in 2012. His work was also presented at Documenta 12 in 2007 and at the 56th edition of the Venice Biennale. He was awarded the Marcel Duchamp Prize in 2009 and the Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art in 2015.

Defined as ‘post-conceptual', his work is about interpretation, exchange and circulation. It takes multiple forms (performance, objects, sculptures, text, posters and works in neon) with the exhibition as a pretext for production or activation. The texts or statements are often transferred to the walls using holographic self-adhesive paper. Afif's practice is rooted in music: scores, instruments, speakers, microphones, concerts and posters are part of his vocabulary or media. Other recurring interests include the passing of time (skulls, clocks), appropriation, remakes or repetitions and the displacement of meaning, and the critique of institutions. His major work, The Fountain Archives (INDEX), started in 2008, is a project of documentation and conservation of each "Fountain" by Marcel Duchamp reproduced on paper. The work, produced and published by mfc-michèle didier, will be completed in 2022.