In her autobiographical memoir My Mother Laughs, artist and film director Chantal Akerman chronicles her daily life plagued by illness and the unraveling of a love story. She recounts that, during dinner, she was struck by a sudden burst of vitality, a "need to laugh in the midst of the impending catastrophe. Laughing on a volcano." The premise of this exhibition sprouted from this cry of joy in the face of ominous predictions. Laughter is portrayed as a reaction of wonder at the power of fire, a reversal of power dynamics, an absurd stance in light of the disproportionate impact of our species on Earth's systems.

The figure of the volcano conjures up the imagination of an imminent collapse, while also embodying a sensual geological aesthetic and highlighting the fragility of human time. Like Athanasius Kircher's “central fire” theory, which speculates on the insides of the globe, Laughing on a Volcano explores the materiality of these raw elements: volcanic rock, sand, clay, coal, limestone concretions and mineral voices. It embarks on a journey into the depths of mines, the intensity of a magnetic field, to the edge of a crater, or in contact with a meteorite.

With Cécile Beau, Fanny Béguély, Nina Berclaz, Ludwig Berger, Charlotte Charbonnel, Andrew Erdos et Shawn Murrey, Julia Gault, Mihai Grecu, Joana Hadjithomas et Khalil Joreige, Clara Imbert, Pauline Julier, Athanasius Kircher, Atsunobu Kohira, Sabine Mirlesse, Nelson Pernisco, Darta Sidere, Diana Vidrascu, Wiktoria
Curator : Clara Darrason, Andy Rankin, Mahsan Shams, Alice Loumeau and Valentin Bansac (founders of MATTERS.xyz collective)

From January 23 to March 15, 2025
Open Fridays and Saturdays, 2pm to 6pm
Free registration here

With the support of le19M, Grand Partner of POUSH

* This exhibition uses electronic equipment that may interfere with the operation of pacemakers. As a precautionary measure, we strongly advise people with pacemakers not to visit the exhibition.