To Breathe or Not to Breathe — Art as Vital Breath

In A Land Far Far Away (2012), Jabulani Maseko, photography

Key points

• Committed curator : Cécile Bourne-Farrell, based in London, explores art from an ethical and decolonial perspective.

• Universal theme : breath and the fundamental right to breathe, confronted with ecological and social crises.

• Multidisciplinarity : photography, sculpture, drawing, digital arts and sound installations.

• Sensitive dialogues : the works connect bodily memory, fragile territories and collective consciousness.

Cécile Bourne-Farrell: committed curator

From London, Cécile Bourne-Farrell shapes a deeply ethical and decolonial curatorial approach. A member of AICA, AWITA, and CIMAM, she explores the links between artists, institutions, and territories through projects that question the fractures of the contemporary world. A former collaborator of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (ARC) and curator for King's College London , she has created a selection on Artmajeur that goes beyond a simple exhibition: “To Breathe or Not to Breathe” is a reflection on vital urgency and collective responsibility .

Learn more about Cécile Bourne-Farrell

When breathing becomes a political act

The Trick Is To Remove The Dust (Darkened Fondly) (2017)Drawing, Wendy-Ann Greenhalgh

Breathing is no longer a trivial act. Pollution, fires, wars, and migrations transform breathing into a challenge. As the curator reminds us:

“Why continue to mortgage the Earth’s oxygen to the detriment of the simple fundamental right to breathe?”

The selection brings together seven artists who question the asphyxiation of the world , each through their own practice—photography, sculpture, drawing, digital, installation. The exhibition becomes a collective lung , a place where the viewer experiences fragility and resilience.

Landscapes as witnesses

Some works depict wounded territories . Corinne Silva 's photographs, for example, transform charred trees into silent witnesses to collective trauma. Immersive sounds and images force the viewer to walk among these landscapes, to feel the breathing of the soil and the trees .

The sculptures and drawings of Anna Dumitriu and Gleb Skubachevsky extend this reflection. Organic forms, minimalist lines, graphic rituals: they question the memory of bodies and generations , the legacy of suffering and biological transformations.

Once I wished a tree, I (2015), Corinne Silva, Photography, 125x100 cm

The body and memory

For other artists, breathing becomes a metaphor for intimacy and identity. Louise Wilde 's etchings and Wendy-Ann Greenhalgh's diptychs explore the common thread of life: masks, circular motifs, and red threads symbolize impeded breath, the link between life and death, inheritance and impermanence.

“The red thread connects the tree, the paper, the artist, and the viewer. It reminds us of the constancy of change and the importance of breathing.”

Jabulani Maséko 's digital and photographic works, as well as Liz Hingley 's sculptural jewelry, extend this dialogue into spaces of migration and displacement. Breath becomes a link between memory and the present, between body and territory .

Art as resistance

To Breathe or Not to Breathe is not just an exhibition: it is a sensory and political experience . The viewer is invited to smell, hear, touch and reflect , to become aware of what it means to breathe in a world in crisis.

Each work participates in a subtle dialogue between ecological trauma, bodily memory and collective consciousness . Art then becomes a tool for survival, a breath of resistance , and reminds us that breathing is never trivial.

Discover the selection

FAQ

Who is Cécile Bourne-Farrell?
London-based curator, member of AICA, AWITA, and CIMAM. She works on decolonial and ethical projects, notably for King's College and the Arts Cabinet in London.

What does “To breathe or not to breathe” mean?
The exhibition explores breath as a vital right and a symbol of resistance in the face of ecological, social and political crises.

What types of works are presented?
Photographs, sculptures, drawings, digital arts and sound installations, all articulated around the theme of breath and the fragility of life.

What are the main themes covered?
The memory of territories, collective trauma, identity and the body, the relationship to the environment and ecological awareness.