In the early 1970’s, feminist artist Eleanor Antin creates three characters that she will call her personae or her selves, thus assuming different roles such as a king, a nurse or a ballerina. Among the multiple occurences of the figure of the ballerina, the artist embodies the character of Eleanora Antinova, first and only Afro-American ballerina from the Russian Ballets. With this character, Eleanor Antin revisits both clichés linked to this figure from Romantic and avant-garde ballet and those engendered by Modern Art. By cautiously observing the series of photographs and texts that form the work Recollections of My Life with Diaghilev, the viewer will be immersed into the different fictional and critical strategies or operations offered by Antin’s work, whether they be linked to text, still or moving image, or to performance.

Based in Brussels, Camille Pageard holds a PhD in History and Art Criticism from Université Rennes 2—Haute Bretagne. A professor at Erg (Brussels), his work associates research on art history and the history of contemporary poetry. He has published different texts in magazines as well as in collective publications. He was one of the editors of 2.0.1 magazine and co-edited Louie Louie’s edition with François Aubart. He’s now a member of <0> future <0>. He was recently co-editor of the Liverpool Biennale’s catalogue with Mai Abu El Dahab and Anthony Huberman.