Visceral, Intimate Typographic Poems by EDIE. — Poetry Meets Textile

With VAINCU, NON DOMPTÉ (“Defeated, Not Tamed”), EDIE. transforms typography into something lived, worn, and felt. Screen printed onto textile and first presented in June 2024 at Noir Brillant in Rennes, France, the work formed part of LES CHIENS QUI ABOIENT (“The Dogs That Bark”), an exhibition where language, fabric, and gesture converged in a powerful exploration of resistance and endurance.

At the heart of the exhibition stood a monumental eight-metre textile installation. Draped within the height of the space, it functioned almost like a sail, a banner, or a flag. EDIE. described the moment of encountering the architecture:

“When I arrived in the space and saw the eight-metre-high ceiling, it felt incredible. I asked myself what I would want to see in a place like this, and I immediately thought of a large sail, like a pirate flag or a parachute; a big draped fabric.”

This image of a suspended textile becomes central to understanding her practice. Words are not simply printed. They hang, move, crease, and breathe. The fragility of fabric contrasts with the weight of the message, creating a tension between vulnerability and defiance.

The phrase VAINCU, NON DOMPTÉ references a historical expression used by prisoners in Biribi, the French military penal colonies. It translates as “you may defeat me, but you will not tame me.” For EDIE., this stubborn resilience became the conceptual anchor of the piece. In her work, language is both manifesto and intimate mantra, addressing contemporary cultural and political climates with quiet force.

Her texts are short, direct, rhythmically charged. They sit somewhere between poetry, graffiti, and protest. This graphic gesture at the edge of tag and manifesto aligns with her broader multidisciplinary practice. As a singer, EDIE. approaches language not only as meaning but as sound and presence. Words carry breath, cadence, and physicality. In the exhibition space, this dialogue extended beyond the printed surface. During the opening, she performed live, activating the relationship between text, body, and environment.

An excerpt from the exhibition’s accompanying poem reads:

LES CHIENS QUI ABOIENT
Jette le tout et la clef avec
Pars en courant en ligne droite les yeux bandés
Jette le tout et donne le reste aux chiens

THE DOGS THAT BARK
Throw it all away and the key with it
Run straight ahead blindfolded
Throw it all away and give the rest to the dogs.

Reflecting on the emotional undercurrent of the piece, EDIE. noted:

“This poem is about a feeling we all share in these troubled political times: trying to move forward while others choose to shout louder and attack. For me, they weren’t crocodiles, but barking dogs.”

Her textile works often combine personal text with handcrafted typography and screen printing on soft, flexible materials. The surfaces feel intimate, almost domestic, yet the messages resist domestication. Through this interplay, EDIE. explores contrasts between fragility and strength, softness and confrontation, silence and sound.

Born in Brest in 1987 and now based in Berlin, EDIE.’s work has been exhibited in Rennes, Berlin, and Dakar, and has been part of the contemporary art fund of the city of Rennes since 2018. Across mediums, her practice remains anchored in intimacy and hidden emotions, offering a direct, almost adolescent honesty that refuses to be subdued.

To explore more of EDIE.’s work, visit:
www.justlikekids.com
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For inquiries about available works, contact: contact@justlikekids.com

In VAINCU, NON DOMPTÉ, poetry is no longer confined to the page. It becomes fabric, monument, and atmosphere. Defeated, perhaps. But never tamed.