Saint Laurent Rive Droite Presents Tiona Nekkia McClodden
By Titina Penzini ( IG @titinapenzini)
Following the release of DON’T FORGET TO FORGET TO BREATHE by Tiona Nekkia McClodden as part of the Saint Laurent Rive Droite Editions, Saint Laurent Rive Droite and Anthony Vaccarello invite the artist to exhibit a selection of artworks at Saint Laurent Rive Droite Paris from until October 8, 2025.
The exhibition, titled ONDINE’S SUITE, will present six works that echo the themes explored in the book and continue McClodden’s investigation into ritual, identity, and poetics. Featuring a unique selection from McClodden’s ‘NEVER LET ME GO’ series, in which she focuses on the concept of pressure, power dynamics, and the flow of air, ONDINE’S SUITE takes direct reference from the play Ondine by Jean Giraudoux, which explores the nature of love.
DON’T FORGET TO FORGET TO BREATHE has been thought and conceived closely together with the artist to be a unique object designed to align with the artist’s distinctive creative DNA and reflect the exhibition and McClodden’s practice. It features images from her recent installations and artworks previously shown in the 2023 exhibition THE POETICS OF BEAUTY WILL INEVITABLY RESORT TO THE MOST BASE PLEADING AND OTHER WILDES to SECURE ITS RELEASE, held at Kunsthalle Basel.
With this book, Anthony Vaccarello highlights the work of the Philadelphia-based artist.
Tiona Nekkia McClodden takes an interdisciplinary approach as a visual artist, filmmaker, and curator to interrogate the ideas of ritual and order through their relationship to identity and the conditions of being human. Through documentary film, experimental video, sculpture, sound installation, and poetry, her practice explores themes of Black interiority, biomythography, and queer poetics.
The book visually evolves across its pages, echoing the rhythms of breathing. It reflects McClodden’s multifaceted approach by combining elements of a hardcover book, an exhibition catalogue, and an artwork.
The book is divided into two parts: the first one reflects the two video artworks that were exhibited in the show, thanks to two flipbook-like narratives. The second part presents the artwork through a walk-through style, inspired narrative & layout, echoing a performance given by the artist as part of the exhibition at the Kunsthalle Basel.
In addition, ten limited edition copies of the book are available, as well as three exclusive ‘art editions’. These rare editions will further embody the artist’s vision, offering collectors a deeper understanding of the body of work.