MARCELLA NICOLI SOUSA IMPARATO

This project is dedicated to the debate occasioned by the exhibition L’Empreinte, held in 1997 at the Centre Georges Pompidou. It was the first exhibition curated by Georges Didi-Huberman, which has not yet been comprehensively addressed in academic studies. In this exhibition, the philosopher proposed a reevaluation of artistic and non-artistic objects through the technique of imprinting, challenging a certain mimetic tradition in art history. The thesis seeks to understand how this debate provides the foundation for the author’s epistemological critique, as well as for the examination of the materiality of images and their anachronic temporality. It aims to test the hypothesis of a critique of the ontology of the image, situating the philosopher within a French tradition developed in the theoretical framework of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. In doing so, the research seeks to elucidate a connection still underexplored in academic studies, complementing the already self-declared affinities with German-speaking intellectuals. In this sense, the research also aims to contribute to the still incipient process of historicizing Didi-Huberman's work.