JILL GALLIENI
(1948 | FRANCE)
Jill Galliéni was born in 1948 to an American mother and a French father who was an actor. Brought up away from her parents, her father took over her care when she was seven.
Jill always creates strange fabric dolls and turned to prayer towards the age of thirty as a way of helping her to rebuild her life and free herself from the mental traps that were stopping her from living her life.
She initially wanted to “speak” through words, but, finding it unbearable, she invented prayers – always the same, repeated hundreds of times.
These “litanies” are tightly bundled garlands that hides the meaning of the prayer. The prayers are addressed to Saint Rita, patron saint of lost causes.
These black or coloured ink signs are imitation of the written words or superimposed layers of writing, that covering isolated sheets or entire notebooks.
The personal rhythm permitted the creation of different directions, curves, diagonals, calligram flowers and abstract shapes.
Her texts – including a rare notebook presented at the Histoire(s) de carnet exhibition at Drawing Now Paris in 2010 – have recently been acquired by the Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art.
JILL GALLIENI
(1948 | FRANCIA)
Jill Galliéni è nata nel 1948 da madre americana e padre francese, un attore. Cresciuta lontano dai suoi genitori, suo padre se ne prese carico all’età di sette anni.
Jill realizza da sempre strane bambole di stoffa e verso i trent’anni scopre che le preghiere l’aiutano a ricostruirsi, a trovare una strada per uscire dai problemi mentali che non le permettono di vivere al meglio.
Inizialmente avrebbe voluto “dire” attraverso le parole ma, trovando questo insopportabile, comincia ad inventare preghiere, sempre le stesse, ripetute come fossero litanie, centinaia di volte.
Queste “litanie” formano ghirlande fitte che nascondono il vero significato della preghiera. Tali preghiere sono dedicate a Santa Rita, patrona delle cause perse.
I segni neri o colorati sono imitazioni delle parole o più sovrapposizioni di scritte che vanno a coprire fogli e interi quaderni.
Il personale ritmo dell’opera permette la creazione di differenti direzioni, curve, diagonali, fiori, segni astratti.
Questi testi, inclusi dei rari quaderni presentati all’ Histoire(s) de carnet exhibition al Drawing Now Paris nel 2010, sono stati recentemente acquisiti nelle collezioni del Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art.






Museums and Collections
Art Brut Akademie, Wien
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de l’Hôpital Sainte-Anne
Outsider Art Museum, Amsterdam
Galleries
Galerie Christian Berst, Paris
Galleria Rizomi, Parma
Marie Finaz Gallery, Paris