…to be utopia, it is enough that I be a body (M. Foucault, 1966).

The body and architecture are central to Bence Magyarlaki’s practice. Their works encapsulate the tensions within movement, questioning the patriarchal values reflected in our societal structures and the control on our identity and its desires. Their sculptures are transformative in nature, addressing issues of sexuality, identity, fragility, power and social change.

Magyarlaki recovers foam and parts of abandoned furniture, transforming their geometry into new anthropomorphic gestures. The memory of the body is always present, addressing recollections of intimacy, both of one’s own body and those of others. They use the traditional Moroccan plastering technique of Tadelakt (which means to caress). A long and precise process that involves superimposing and polishing successive layers, then smoothing out imperfections until the artist’s hand disappears. A flexible outer shell is thus created, expanding and con-tracting with changes in atmospheric temperature making it feel like a moving, breathing surface. An organic body that is alive.

The exhibition at PARIS-B, the artist’s first solo show in France, explores both the beauty and the complexity of a queer body in its relation to systemic identity . Filled with references to the human body and the clinical universe, the gallery becomes a giant anatomy that Magyarlaki jostles and dissects to make visible what underlies our internal architecture: a body in perpetual deconstruction.