Deborah de Robertis brings to light the implications of #MeToo in cultural institutions

The artist and performer Deborah de Robertis is once again at the center of public debate after a maintenance In an interview with Mediapart, she stated her intention to spark a genuine #MeToo movement within the contemporary art world. A leading figure in performance art in France and Europe, she denounced a milieu where, in her view, power dynamics continue to foster silence surrounding certain forms of sexist and sexual violence. "Why is the art world the only one, post-#MeToo, to cultivate a code of silence?"she wonders today. Her intervention comes in a context where several cultural sectors have already been profoundly disrupted by the revelations linked to the #MeToo movement.

A few months earlier, Entrevue magazine had dedicated a profile to him entitled « Deborah de Robertis, the rebel who transforms art into an act of resistance »The artist reflected on her career, her most significant performances, and her desire to use art as a tool for challenging mechanisms of domination. This approach is part of a long-standing, committed artistic practice that, for over a decade, has questioned power dynamics, the representation of the female body, and the place of women in cultural institutions.

Art as a tool of resistance

Since her earliest performances, Deborah de Robertis has built a body of work marked by the reappropriation of the female body and the questioning of established norms. Known for her interventions in museums and exhibition spaces, she advocates an art that goes beyond mere provocation and seeks to question the power structures that permeate society and the cultural world. She summarizes this philosophy today by stating that she has "made [her] own sex a political tool".

She claims to have encountered situations throughout her career that she believes reveal broader dysfunctions within the art world. She believes that the relationships between artists, gallery owners, collectors, and institutional leaders can sometimes create imbalances that foster certain forms of abuse. By testifying to what happened to me with powerful men, some of whom were much older (teachers, collectors, curators), I want to expose a report of systematic exploitation.she explains. According to her, many women working in the cultural sector are still hesitant to speak out publicly, for fear of professional consequences or of being permanently excluded from artistic networks.

Artificial intelligence at the service of memory

To further her cause, the artist also relies on digital tools and new technologies. Video, social media, and artificial intelligence become means for her to make visible often invisible mechanisms. Deborah de Robertis specifically advocates the use of AI as a tool for reclaiming her personal history. "By repurposing AI to better reflect my own experience, a form of healing becomes possible."she affirms. This approach is part of a series of new performances and creations intended to examine sexist violence, abuses of power and the resistance encountered by those who choose to speak out.

Through this new public statement, Deborah de Robertis aims to open up a broader discussion on the mechanisms of domination that, in her view, persist in the world of contemporary art. This approach contributes to reigniting the debate on the role of #MeToo in a cultural sector where testimonies remain rare and where questions of power continue to fuel heated discussions.