​the Alphabet: first breath, by Pauline Faieff

​The body reclaims its own voice: a new visual language debuts in Rome, Porte Rosse, San Lorenzo, July 7–12 2026

​Solo exhibition curated by Annelise Stern

​In a world that polices, exploits or censors bodies, one artist answers with a radical act of reclamation. Pauline Faieff presents the Alphabet, a complete visual language written entirely by the human body and an invitation to everyone to reclaim their own image. The exhibition makes its physical debut at Porte Rosse, in Rome's San Lorenzo neighbourhood, from July 7th to 12th 2026.

​In un mondo che controlla, sfrutta o censura i corpi, un’artista risponde con un gesto radicale di riappropriazione. Pauline Faieff presenta Alphabet, un linguaggio visivo completo scritto interamente attraverso il corpo umano e un invito rivolto a tutti a riappropriarsi della propria immagine. La mostra farà il suo debutto fisico presso Porte Rosse, nel quartiere San Lorenzo di Roma, dal 7 al 12 luglio 2026.

​Discover the collection: https://www.paulinefaieff.art/first-breath

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​the Alphabet is a complete visual alphabet of 26 photographs, one letter per image, each formed by the body alone and a poem. But its true subject is freedom: the freedom to be seen without filters, without fear, without permission. Where algorithms suppress and social norms shrink the body into something to be corrected, the Alphabet turns it back into language and that language belongs to everyone.

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​The work was born in Martinique, Pauline Faieff's birthplace, over eight months and three solitary sessions. The artist returned to the very place where she was once made to feel small, and stayed until the body could finally speak: no artificial light, no makeup, no staging. What emerged is not a portrait of one woman, but a tool anyone can pick up: a way of looking at one's own body with tenderness instead of judgment.

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​Rome is the first breath

​Rome is the first breath, the first time these letters leave the screen and enter a room, the first time a visitor can stand before a letter that is also a body, and recognise something of their own. Hosted inside a former historic trattoria whose vaulted ceilings once welcomed Pasolini and Elsa Morante, Porte Rosse is today a space for free expression, built by three women, a fitting home for a work about reclaiming one's own ground.

​the Alphabet is more than an exhibition. It is a movement toward self-love and liberation, a poetic sanctuary where deconstructing norms and embracing imperfection become acts of resistance. It does not ask to be admired. It asks to be joined.

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​About Pauline Faieff

​Based between France and Italy, Pauline Faieff is widely followed across social media, and her work has been presented in international exhibitions. For her, nudity is not merely an artistic medium, it is a manifesto. Her commitment goes beyond creating images: it becomes a philosophy of life, a tool for social transformation, and a space of emancipation.

​About Annelise Stern

​Active across contemporary art, culture, and new technologies, Annelise Stern has dedicated her career to championing women artists, curating exhibitions that have showcased more than 100 women artists. A specialist in the female gaze and emerging technologies, she explores how these perspectives are transforming the production, distribution, and reception of art.

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​PRACTICAL INFORMATION

​the Alphabet: First breath

​By Pauline Faieff - Curated by Annelise Stern

​Venue: Porte Rosse, Via dei Sabelli 6-8, 00185, Roma, RM (Italy)

​Dates: July 7–12 2026

​Opening hours: 1 - 7 pm

​Private view / opening: July 7th, 6 pm - 10 pm

​Admission: Free

​More infos: www.paulinefaieff.art