PAUL MAHEKE
Born in 1985
Lives & works in Montpellier

Paul Maheke lives and works in Montpellier. Across various forms and artistic disciplines, Maheke has sustained a long-term exploration into the ways that marginalised bodies, narratives and histories are made visible and invisible. Resisting a probing of identity that sits solely within the framework of identity politics, Maheke’s trajectory has continuously been channelled through spectral sensations. The artist has called in ghosts, spirits and non-human beings into his works to invite a re-orientation to the way that we, the audience, are able to perceive; which is to say, to reframe the way that we are able to see, feel and listen.

In reconfiguring the sensible, Maheke seeks to shift the dominant systems of discourse production and understanding that heavily depend on representation, visibility and legibility as the ultimate forms of truth, value and/or power. Instead, the artist nurtures the formation of a self through a state of in-betweenness; one where esoteric, spiritual, queer and embodied knowledge(s) help Maheke garner the potential for prophecy.

↑ ©Rob Battersby
↑ ©Rob Battersby
↑ ©Rob Battersby
↑ ©Rob Battersby
↑ ©Rob Battersby

PAUL MAHEKE
« To be blindly hopeful »
23 March 2024 - 29 June 2024
MOSTYN Contemporary gallery and visuals art Center - Llandudno, Wales, UK.

Paul Maheke, "Levant", 2018.
Tate Modern, London, UK.
Permanent Collection

↑ Paul Maheke, The Purple Chamber, 2023 curated by Chiara Nuzzi, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano.  Ph. credits Andrea Rossetti and Tiziano Ercoli
↑ Sans titre (ombre blanche), 2020
↑ Paul Maheke, The Purple Chamber, 2023 curated by Chiara Nuzzi, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano.  Ph. credits Andrea Rossetti and Tiziano Ercoli

The Purple Chamber
ICA Milano
26/10 — 10/12/2023
Curated by Chiara Nuzzi

Paul Maheke, The Purple Chamber, 2023 curated by Chiara Nuzzi, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano.  Ph. credits Andrea Rossetti and Tiziano Ercoli

"L’Origine de la mort", Lafayette Anticipations, Paris.
September 16 - 17, 2023.
© Martin Argyroglo

Paul Maheke performance " The Origin of Death " at Astrup Fearnley Museet, June 2023 9th and 10th
Photo: Jan Khür / Abrakadabra

"Un lac inconnu", exhibition at Bally foundation, Lugano.

Shifted Realities, Paul Maheke, The Origin Of Death (2023), performance
© Galerie Rudolfinum, photo Libor Galia

Shifted Realities
GroupShow exhibition at the Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic
16/03/2023 - 11/06/2023

We took a sip from the devil's cup
Project Art Centre Dublin
2022

YOU & I
Kunsthalle Bratislava, Slovakia
Photo Martin Polák

AS THE DAYS MOVE INTO NIGHTS, 2022, Diagonale, Montréal

Temporary Atlas: Mapping the Self in the Art of Today
MOSTYN,
June 25 - September 25, 2022

Paul Maheke, Breaking Waters
CAC, Cincinnati, US
May 6 - August 14, 2022
© Wes Battoclette

Paul Maheke, British Art Show 9
Aberdeen /Wolverhampton United Kingdom
2021/2022
© Mike Davidson
© Stuart Whipps

Paul Maheke, FIAC, Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris, France, October 2021
© Aurélien Mole

Paul Maheke, Futur Generation Art Prize, Pinchuk Art Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine, October 2021 - January 2022
© PinchukArtCentre & Maksym Bilousov

Paul Maheke, screenshots from "Mauve, Jim and John", 28 : 05 min, 2021
Produced by Artangel

Paul Maheke, "Taboo Durag", Performance at Goodman Gallery, London as part of Performance Exchange, 9th July 2021.
© Damian Griffiths

Paul Maheke, "(in)visible", Malmö Konstmuseum, Malmö, Sweden, June 2021 - January 2022

Paul Maheke, "Taboo Durag", "A light barrel in a river’s mouth, Glasgow International", UK, 2021
Courtesy The Roberts Institute of Art, Glasgow International and Paul Maheke
© Eoin Carey

Paul Maheke, "The Mauve Hour", Sultana Summer Set, Arles, France, May - July 2021
© François Deladerrière

Paul Maheke, Vanille Bleue, 2021, Goodman Gallery Johannesburg

Paul Maheke, "Vanille Bleue", Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, April - May 2021

Paul Maheke, "An apology, a pill, a ritual, a resistance", Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada, March - August 2021
© Blaine Campbell.

Paul Maheke, "La Clinique du Queer", Maison Populaire de Montreuil, September 2020 - February 2021
© Aurélien Mole

Paul Maheke, « Possédé.e.s », MOCO, Montpellier, France, September 2020 - May 2021
© François Deladerrière

Paul Maheke, "The Spectral Forest", Nida Art Colony, Nida, Lituania, August - November 2020
© Ansis Starks

Paul Maheke, "La Pleine Lune Dort La Nuit", Musée d’art contemporain de la Haute Vienne, Rochechouart, France, February - September 2020

Paul Maheke, "HERE AND NOW - Transcorporealities" Museum Ludwig, Köln, Germany, 2019
© Rheinisches Bildarchiv Köln / Nina Siefke.

Paul Maheke, "OOLOI", Triangle France - Astérides, Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille, 2019
© Aurélien Mole

Paul Maheke, "Levant", Ludlow 38, New York, USA, 2019
© Carter Seddon / Goethe-Institut, New York

Paul Maheke, "21e Prix Fondation d’entreprise Ricard : Le fil d’alerte", Fondation d'entreprise Ricard, Paris, France, 2019
© Aurélien Mole / Fondation d’entreprise Ricard

Paul Maheke, "Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer deep within", Performance part of Meetings on Art, 58th Venice Biennale, 2019.
© Riccardo Banfi / Courtesy Delfina Foundation and Arts Council England.

Paul Maheke, "A fire circle for a public hearing", Vleeshal Center for Contemporary Art, Netherlands, 2019
© Gunnar Meier.

Paul Maheke, «Diable Blanc», Galerie Sultana, Paris, France, 2019
© Aurélien mole.

Paul Maheke, "Dans l’éther, là, ou l’eau", "À Cris Ouverts" - 6th édition des Ateliers de Rennes - biennale d’art contemporain, Rennes, France, 2018
© Aurélien Mole.

Paul Maheke, "Letter to a Barn Owl", Kevin Space, Vienna, Austria, 2018
© Maximilian Anelli-Monti.

Paul Maheke, "Give Up the Ghost: Baltic Triennial 13, Lithuania, 2018

Paul Maheke, "Le centre ne peut tenir", Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France, 2018
Produced and commissioned by Lafayette Anticipations, Paris.
©Pierre Antoine - ©ADAGP

Paul Maheke, "The Distance is Nowhere", Manifesta, Palermo, Italia, 2018
© Paul Maheke, Sophie Mallett, Stella Sideli, GAM Palermo and Overalls Adv.

Paul Maheke, "Familiar familial place of confusion (channel)", Performance in collaboration with Simon and Alix Maheke, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, 2018
© Hervé Veronese

Paul Maheke, "A fire circle for a public hearing", Chisenhale Gallery, London, UK, 2018
Produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. Commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery and Vleeshal Center for Contemporary Art, Middelburg.
© Mark Blower

Paul Maheke, "Habits of care", Blackwood Gallery, Toronto, Canada, 2017
© Henry Chan / © Toni Hafkenscheid

Paul Maheke, «Acqua Alta», Galerie Sultana, Paris, France, 2017
©Aurélien Mole

Paul Maheke, "The dance floor could never be a story with one voice. The dance floor is packed with stories all pulsating with their own experiences and needs», DRAF, 2017
© Tim Bowditch

Paul Maheke, "Mbu", as part of BMW Live Exhibition: Ten Days Six Nights, Tate Modern, 2017
© Tate 2017, image: Brotherton-Lock.

Paul Maheke, "In the Watery Core of those Stories", as part of the Diaspora Pavilion, Venice, Italia, 2017
Courtesy of ICF, Galerie Sultana and the artist
© Francesco Allegretto and Paul Maheke

Paul Maheke, "What Flows Through and Across", Assembly Point, London, United Kingdom, 2017

Paul Maheke, "In Me Everything is Already Flowing", Center, Berlin, Germany, 2016

Paul Maheke, "I Lost Track of the Swarm", South London Gallery, London, UK, 2016

GALLERY SHOWS:

The Mauve Hour, Sultana Summer Set Arles
8 May 2021 — 8 May 2021

YESN'T II
2 Dec 2020 — 2 Dec 2020

YESN'T
10 Sep 2020 — 10 Sep 2020

FAIRS:

Art Basel Miami Beach. Miami Beach, USA
3 Dec 2020 — 3 Dec 2020

Frieze London 2021. London, United Kingdom
13 Oct 2021 — 13 Oct 2021

FIAC 2021. Paris, France
21 Oct 2021 — 21 Oct 2021

Liste Art Fair 2023. Basel, Swistzerland
12 Jun 2023 — 12 Jun 2023

Paris+ by Art Basel. Paris, France
18 Oct 2023 — 18 Oct 2023

Frieze London 2024. London, England
9 Oct 2024 — 9 Oct 2024

BIO:

His recent projects : 'We took a sip from the devils cup', Project Art Centre, Dublin (2022); 'You and I', Kunstalle, Bratislava, Slovaquie (2022); 'British Art Show 9', curated by Irene Aristizábal and Hammad Nasar (2021); Songs to the Sun, Cabaret Voltaire x Monte Verità, Zurich (2021). The Mauve Hour at Sultana Summer Set, Arles(2021). Vanille Bleue at Goodman Gallery, Johanesburg (2021). Clinique du Queer, Maison Pop, Montreuil (2020); Critstal Clear, Pera Museum, Istanbul (2020) ; YESN’T, Galerie Sultana, Paris (2020) ; The Spectral Forest, Nida Art Colony, Lithuania ; Possédé.e.s, MOCO - Montpellier (2020) ; La Pleine Lune Dort La Nuit, MAC Haute Vienne - Rochecouart (2020) ; Prix Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard, Paris, Performa 19, Abrons Art Center, New York and ‘Elements of Vogue!’, Chopo Museum, Mexico City, ‘OOLOI', Triangle France-Astérides, Marseille, 'The Distance is Nowhere' (in collab. with Sophie Mallett), ICA Miami, Miami (2019), ‘Sènsa', (in collab. with Nkisi), Blockuniverse, London, (2019), Diable Blanc, Galeries Sultana (2019), Meetings on Art, performance art program at 58th Venice Biennale, 'A Fire Circle for a Public Hearing', Vleeshal Center for Contemporary Art, (2019 solo) ‘Letter to a Barn Owl’, Kevin Space, Vienna (2018, solo); ‘A cris ouverts’, Biennale de Rennes (2018). ‘Give Up the Ghost’, Baltic Triennial 13, Tallinn (2018); ‘Le centre ne peut tenir', Lafayette Anticipations, Paris (2018); ‘Move’, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2018); ‘A fire circle for a public hearing’, Chisenhale Gallery, London (2018, solo show); 'Elements of Vogue', CA2M, Madrid (2017).

Download Full CV.

RELATED NEWS:

Group Show. Galerie Rudolfinum. Prague, République Tchèque.
(https://www.prague.eu)
16 Mar 2023 — 16 Mar 2023

Solo Show. Project Arts Centre. Dublin, Ireland.
(https://projectartscentre.ie)
25 Nov 2022 — 25 Nov 2022

Performance. The Highline. New York, US.
(https://www.thehighline.org)
21 Jun 2022 — 21 Jun 2022

Performance. Musée Tinguely. Basel, Switzerland.
(https://www.tinguely.ch/)
11 Jun 2022 — 11 Jun 2022

Performance. MDT. Stockholm, Sweden.
(https://mdtsthlm.se)
19 May 2022 — 19 May 2022

Group Show. Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati. Cincinnati, US.
(contemporaryartscenter.org)
6 May 2022 — 6 May 2022

Group Show. PLATO. Ostrava, Czech Republic.
(https://plato-ostrava.cz/)
16 Mar 2022 — 16 Mar 2022

Performance. Henie Ostad. Høvikodden, Norway.
(https://www.hok.no/)
19 Feb 2022 — 19 Feb 2022

Group Show. Fondazione Imago Mundi- Gallerie delle Prigioni. Treviso, Italy.
(fondazioneimagomundi.org)
4 Feb 2022 — 4 Feb 2022

Group Show. Gallerie delle Prigioni. Treviso, Italy.
()
4 Feb 2022 — 4 Feb 2022

Group Show. Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Wolverhampton, UK.
(https://britishartshow9.co.uk/)
22 Jan 2022 — 22 Jan 2022

Group Show. Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art. London, UK.
(https://goldsmithscca.art)
21 Jan 2022 — 21 Jan 2022

Fair. Grand Palais. Paris, France.
(www.fiac.com)
21 Oct 2021 — 21 Oct 2021

Group Show. Pinchuk Art Centre. Kiev, Ukraine.
(pinchukartcentre.org)
25 Sep 2021 — 25 Sep 2021

Group Show. Aberdeen Art Gallery. Aberdeen, UK.
()
6 Nov 2020 — 6 Nov 2020

Group Show. La Maison Populaire de Montreuil. Montreuil, France.
(www.maisonpop.fr/)
27 Sep 2020 — 27 Sep 2020

Group Show. MO.CO. Montpellier, France.
(moco.art)
26 Sep 2020 — 26 Sep 2020

Group Show. Le Credac. Paris, France.
(www.festival-automne.com)
20 Sep 2020 — 20 Sep 2020

Group Show. Nir Altman. Munich, Germany.
(www.variousothers.com)
12 Sep 2020 — 12 Sep 2020

Group Show. Nada Art Colony. Neringa, Lituanie.
(http://nidacolony.lt)
28 Aug 2020 — 28 Aug 2020

Group Show. recesspresents art. Online, Online.
(http://recesspresents.art)
1 May 2020 — 1 May 2020

Group Show. Musée d’Art Contemporain de la Haute Vienne. Rochechouart, France.
(www.musee-rochechouart.com)
28 Feb 2020 — 28 Feb 2020

Solo Show. Kevin Space. Vienna, Austria.
(kevinspace.org)
12 Sep 2018 — 12 Sep 2018

PRESS:

paul-maheke-presse.pdf (10.54 MB)

Sultana