Katia Porro
4 MARCH 2025
A curator from Florida, now based in Clermont. After working in various places, from galleries and institutions to residencies, she is now the director of In extenso in Clermont-Ferrand. Besides that, she is also a translator and writer
A curator from Florida, now based in Clermont. After working in various places, from galleries and institutions to residencies, she is now the director of In extenso in Clermont-Ferrand. Besides that, she is also a translator and writer
I first came here in 2017. A friend I was travelling with worked for La Belle Revue, so we visited In extenso and its then-director, Benoît Lamy de La Chapelle. La Belle Revue was one of the first French magazines I read, which surely helped improve my language skills. In extenso also contacted me in the past for translation jobs.
Tell us about your first connection with In extenso and La Belle Revue
How do you present yourself as a professional right now?
I am a translator, art writer, and curator. Since 2021, I have been the director of In extenso and La Belle Revue. My experience at the intersection of art, design, and language has led me to explore the social and political aspects of space, power, objects as carriers of emotions, and the politics of translation.
My parents are Cuban, and I was born and raised in Florida, where I studied art history before working and studying in Italy. I then moved to France for a Master’s in design history and curatorial studies at Parsons. I worked in various art spaces (galleries, institutions, residencies) before becoming director of In extenso.
Tell us about yourself
La chambre était le portrait d’un estomac vide, 202o, with Clara Stengel
I don’t think I can compare my journey to any artist in particular that I follow. Also in recent years I’ve been listening to less and less music. However, one author who has accompanied me throughout my journey is the Canadian writer and poet Anne Carson.
If you had to describe your work through a song?
A bit outside of Clermont, but I love running along the Allier River — I grew up by water and feel drawn to that element and going to Mains Ouvertes or Les Puces — I love thrifting and maybe from a critical perspective because it makes me reflect a lot on how we consume and use objects as a society.
What are your favourite places in Clermont?
Rather than thinking of importance in terms of scale, I would describe the most meaningful experience in terms of affect. In 2020, I organized my first independent curatorial project — an exhibition in the abandoned guardian’s room of the building where I lived in Paris.
Inspired by one of my favorite authors, Clarice Lispector, I invited artist Clara Stengel — now part of the design duo clueless and later featured at In extenso — to create an on-site installation. To realize the exhibition, I obtained authorization from the property manager and cleaned out the space.
Although it lasted only a weekend, I was deeply motivated to start working on projects right after finishing school. The exhibition brought together my core research interests — domestic spaces, bodily constraints (often female), spatial memory, the concept of labor (both physical and emotional), maquettes, design, and literature
Inspired by one of my favorite authors, Clarice Lispector, I invited artist Clara Stengel — now part of the design duo clueless and later featured at In extenso — to create an on-site installation. To realize the exhibition, I obtained authorization from the property manager and cleaned out the space.
Although it lasted only a weekend, I was deeply motivated to start working on projects right after finishing school. The exhibition brought together my core research interests — domestic spaces, bodily constraints (often female), spatial memory, the concept of labor (both physical and emotional), maquettes, design, and literature
What is the most important exhibition you have curated?
3. Something blue, 2020. Curated by Katia Porro. Artists: Océane Bruel, Maxime Fragnon.
2. Soft Armor, 2023. Curated by Katia Porro. Artist: Garance Früh.
- Lier et laisser filer, 2023. Curated by Katia Porro. Artist: Silvana Mc Nulty.
