A unique exploration of the final creative work of cinema’s great innovator, Jean-Luc Godard.
SCÉNARIO(S) The metamorphoses of Jean-Luc Godard’s last creative gesture.
Running from 14 to 22 December 2024, this special exhibition features Godard’s last two films, including the UK premiere of his final work, Scénarios (2024) and his extensive creative notebooks, also reproduced page by page for close inspection by visitors. This intimate journey offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s reflective process, blurring the lines between film, visual art, and philosophy.
Jean-Luc Godard devoted the final years of his life to the realisation of a project he described as his ultimate work, initially titled Scénario and later renamed Scénarios just a week before his voluntary death in September 2022. The project was, at times, ambitious and multifaceted, a film, an exhibition, an opera and at others, more focused, confronting the ageing body and the horizon of death. It both extended the creative path he had established with The Image Book (2018) and marked a radical departure from it.
The project initially seemed infinite, driven by a life of creation that continually pushed its limits, yet it ultimately took a precise form: the film Scénarios.
Scénario(s) invites viewers on a journey through the traces of this final creative gesture. It begins with the screening of Scénarios (18 minutes), completed in the last days of Godard’s life and Exposé du film annonce du film “Scénario” (2024) (36 minutes), an earlier work that delves into the thought processes behind the film. In this long sequence shot, Godard’s hands and voice expose the film to come, immersing the viewer in the heart of an idea still in formation. The exhibition then moves to the five creative notebooks Godard assembled to reflect and transmit his project, presenting page-by-page reproductions that visitors can explore in detail, offering an unprecedented look into his meticulous, tactile method of “thinking with hands”.
This special exhibition provides a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the final creative gesture of one of the most significant artists of the last century, tracing the myriad metamorphoses that led to its creation.
Scénario(s) will also be accompanied by a curated film programme of rarely screened works by Jean-Luc Godard, spanning six decades, further contextualising his legacy in both film and visual art.
Accompanying Film Programme
Sat 14 December, 4pm – The Image Book + Q&A
Sun 15 December, 2pm – Une femme est une femme
Sun 15 December, 4.15pm - Le gai savoir
Tue 17 December, 8pm - Numéro deux + Comment ça va
Wed 18 December, 8.30pm - The Rise and Fall of a Small Film Company
Thu 19 December, 6.30pm - Nouvelle Vague
Fri 20 December, 6.30pm - Éloge de l’amour (4K Restoration)
Sat 21 December, 2.30pm - Histoire(s) du cinéma, Chapters 1+2
Sun 22 December, 2.30pm - Histoire(s) du cinéma, Chapters 3+4
SCÉNARIO(S): 14 December – 22 December 2024
Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH
Exhibition Ticket Pricing; £15 Full Price / £13 Concessions.
Film Programme Ticket Pricing; £13 Full Price / £11 Concessions per screening.
Further Information: ICA | Jean-Luc Godard: Scénario(s)