Théâtre de la Concorde, Champs-Élysées, Paris, France.
Cradle of the World is an immersive panoramic painting installation.
The work consists of seven painted bed bases, suspended by braided ropes. It confronts the viewer with the effects of the Plantationocene and its neo-colonial practices on the current state of the world. Painted on the slats of the bed bases are animals and peoples from European colonies or former colonies that are suffering ecological and human devastation today.
Each of the seven paintings carries an urgency. Calliste superbe sheds light on the threat facing this bird of the Amazon rainforest. Madagascar explores the consequences of environmental degradation on the island. Terra depicts the tragedy of Indigenous peoples confronted with government policies. Exode represents the forced displacement of communities. Mariana denounces the consequences of the dam failures. Mayotte highlights the ongoing ecocide in this archipelago. Finally, Papillons de jour evokes the disappearance of these insects in France.
Behind the bed bases, Alonso Martinez’s sound piece lets the Amazon rainforest be heard.
Technical details
Title Cradle of the World (Berceau du Monde)
Year 2023
Medium Acrylic on bed bases, marine varnish, braided ropes, sound piece
Dimensions Bed bases of 160 × 200 cm, variable installation
Concept Daniel Nicolaevsky
Assistance Anthony Clergue, Marcelo Porto, Eliote Bizarro-Huynh, Melina Barbault, Pabllo & Pixel
Sound design Alonso Martinez
Production Résidence Fabrique, Fondation Fiminco, Romainville, 2023
Presentations
2023 Odyssées Urbaines, Fondation Fiminco, Romainville
2023 Le Rêve d’Iroko, Galerie du Crous, Paris
2023 Art-o-Rama - Cable Dépôt, Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille
2024 En Circuits Courts, Centre Tignous d’Art Contemporain, Montreuil
2025 Théâtre de la Concorde, Paris
Installation views
Critical text
“Beyond simply giving everyday objects an aesthetic and practical value, the artist gives objects a political value and conveys a civic message of eco-responsible commitment, by not overconsuming and not producing anything new, but by adapting his practice to the resources the planet can still offer us. These reflections belong to the circular economy concept of ‘Cradle to Cradle’. When Daniel Nicolaevsky Maria paints a highly symbolic portrait on the slats of a cradle found in the street, the metaphor takes on its full resonance.
The work, made up of seven painted bed bases suspended by braided ropes, confronts the viewer with the effects of the Plantationocene and its neo-colonial practices on the current state of the world. Painted on the slats are animals and peoples representing the tropical jungle and the European colonies or former colonies that are suffering ecological and human devastation today. In this immersive installation, the audience is invited to walk behind the bed bases and to feel, through the sound of the Amazon rainforest, the stark opposition between the largest reservoir of biodiversity on our planet and the threats posed to it by global warming, gold panning and deforestation. With this piece, the expression ‘cradle to cradle’ takes on its full resonance.”
Isabelle de Maison Rouge, art critic, 2024, translated from French
