Tristan Bartolini

His flesh is made of printed characters; his skin stretches between ancient languages and forgotten tales. With his feet, hands and tongue bound together, Tristan has chosen to divide his life into chapters, oscillating between 2D and 3D. After conversing with his extraterrestrial kin and learning their jargon, he set about examining the insults of the Roman Empire and discovered he was descended from a line of fennel-men. Ever since, whenever he smells the scent of burnt wood in his studio, he thinks of them and of the words cast into the fire. Tristan wants, above all, to make the most of his time at L’Abri to carve out gaps in his lunar calendars and stretch out the weeks that are far too short.

Tristan Bartolini is an artist whose work lies at the crossroads of graphic design and visual arts. Having trained in visual communication and subsequently in Space and Communication at the University of Art and Design (HEAD) in Geneva, he developed research that examines the relationships between language, the body and power. His work looks at systems of representation, dominant narratives and dissident forms of expression, exploring how graphic devices, language and images contribute to the construction of norms.

Using installation, sculpture, video and publishing, his practice draws on genres such as science fiction, occultism, drag and mediumistic writings to develop speculative narratives centred on otherness, memory and queer identities. More recently, his research has focused on the historicity of bodies and the remembrance of the persecution of homosexuals in Italy, building on his exploration of the political weight of language and processes of erasure.

His work has been exhibited at the MCBA, the MUDAC, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Geneva Centre for Contemporary Art, as well as at the Ljubljana Biennial of Design and Milan Design Week. He is also a co-founder of Dukat in Carouge, an independent space dedicated to the production and promotion of emerging artists.