Lion Bite
Rafael Sánchez & Sara MacKillop
Opening September 10 at Shmorévaz 6-9 pm
8 Rue Perronet, 75007 Paris
Working in very different formal languages, Rafael Sánchez and Sara Mackillop both propose ways of using objects to hold on to that which is cyclically bursting in and out of perception, interpretation and the world itself. Through a scissor cut, a saw-toothed edge, a razor blade, a reflection of the sun, or a snowfall, Sánchez and Mackillop harness the quiet, massive forces of the everyday at their most critical moment, where a gesture is both destructive and generative. The same tension appears in the stone lion on the façade of Shmorévaz’s space in Paris, whose delicate bite joins two stacked circles to form the infinity symbol: nothing other than an endless loop in which rupture and preservation feed each other.
Rafael Sánchez is a Cuban-born visual artist based in New York City. Spanning more than four decades, his practice moves freely across drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, video, performance, street interventions, and elaborate theatrical works. Closely intertwined with his lived experience and frequently developed in collaboration with fellow artists, Sánchez’s work explores processes of transformation, animation, and the ways in which the magical and scientific coincide. To do so, his paintings and sculptures often combine traditional techniques with what he calls “conductive” materials—including honey, medicine, dirt, driveway sealer, and foundation makeup. Since his first solo exhibition at Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, in 1985, Sánchez has exhibited at Kiang Malingue, New York (2026); RAINRAIN, New York (2026); Whitney ISP Curatorial at Westbeth, New York (2025); Derosia, White Columns, and Martos Gallery, New York (2023); Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art, Massachusetts (2021); HOUSING and Kerry Schuss, New York (2021); Galerie Max Mayer, Düsseldorf (2019); the Museum of the City of New York (2017); La MaMa Galleria, New York (2014); the Museum of Modern Art, the Center for Book Arts, and El Museo del Barrio, New York (2011); Foundation ELBA, Nijmegen; the Jersey City Museum; Hallwalls, Buffalo; WhiteBox, Participant Inc., and Artists Space, New York; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, among other venues. His performances have been presented as part of Performa and Whitney ISP Curatorial, and at Soon Is Now, Dixon Place, Artists Space, Participant Inc., Thread Waxing Space, WhiteBox, Jackie 60, the Fruit Farm Festival, and the Armada Festival, among other venues and contexts.
Sara MacKillop is a contemporary artist who lives and works in London. She has developed a practice encompassing sculpture, installation-based work, and artists’ publications centered on the transformation of everyday objects and materials associated with stationery, archives, administration, and analog communication systems. Her work begins with commonplace materials—paper, envelopes, archive boxes, mail-order catalogues, books, record sleeves, and office supplies—which she subtly alters to create sculptures of remarkable economy and restraint. MacKillop’s practice is characterized by a minimalist sensibility and a sustained interest in what often goes unnoticed. Many of her works explore the disappearance of analog technologies and modes of communication, prompting reflection on memory, obsolescence, and the cultural shifts brought about by technological change. Her work has been exhibited internationally in both solo and group exhibitions. Recent solo exhibitions include Subplot, Roland Ross Gallery (2026); Attachments, Clages Gallery (2025); and The Cutaway View, Good Weather Gallery (2025). Institutional solo exhibitions include Renewals and Returns, PEER Gallery (2020); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2016); Kunsthalle Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2013); Spike Island, Bristol (2011); White Columns, New York (2011); and Dundee Contemporary Arts, Scotland (2010). Recent group shows include Financial Times, Timeshare (2026); Vanishing Meter, curated by Matthew Lawson Garrett, Petrine, Düsseldorf (2026); and Linienstraße, Düsseldorf (2025). She has also participated in group exhibitions at institutions including the Serralves Museum, Porto; Artists Space, New York; and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. She has produced over 50 publications, both self-published and published.
Shmorévaz is an independent art space located in a former shoe store in Paris. Affect, archives, and political and erotic imaginaries are at the center of its programming, through artistic and publishing projects coming mostly from feminist, queer, and DIY cultures. In parallel to its exhibition programme, the space also hosts readings, book launches, and research residencies. In September 2024, it launched its publishing platform: Shmooks (Shmorévaz Books).
Thanks to the support of the Spanish Embassy in France.