Tilda Swinton’s new role: Curator of exhibition dedicated to British Designer Marianna Kennedy

Tilda Swinton may not be on a sinema set right now, but she is keeping busy.  

After picking up the prestigious honorary Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale and sharing that she was going to take a break from cinema for a while, she’s already taken on a new role: exhibition curator.  

The Oscar-winning performer is helming “Supersonic Mediaeval,” an exhibition of Canadian-born British artist and designer Marianna Kennedy, set to take place at Christie’s Paris from 5 – 11 May.  

Organized by PLVR Zurich, the retrospective will delve into Kennedy’s innovative use of materials like resin, wood, bronze, and Murano glass. It will showcase a collection of the artist’s most significant works, notably her carved and gilded mirrors, which she began creating in 2006 at her studio in Spitalfields, London. 

As for the title, which seems somewhat contradictory, the juxtaposition pays homage to Swinton’s admiration of Kennedy’s practice of fusing modernity and tradition – like her carved and gilded mirrors and lamps. 

“Marianna’s work has always sprung from and lived in, for me, a particularly sweet spot, one where the ancient and resonant meet the unknown and surprising,” said Swinton in a statement.  

“This is the landscape of the ‘Supersonic Mediaeval,’ invested in exquisite craftsmanship and joyful color and merging the familiar and the fresh: its atmosphere brings with it a breath to the heart of condition, renewal, and of bright new horizons ahead,” Swinton added. 

According to the auction house, Kennedy met Swinton through a mutual friend and quickly bonded over “their shared love of collaborating with artisans.” 

“I have always been inspired by Tilda’s unique artistic vision combined with a playful sense of collaboration. We both share a respect for craftsmanship and a love of beauty, bridging the gap between the past and present but always looking forward. For us, the past is always new,” Kennedy noted in a statement. 

Last month, Swinton gave an impassioned speech at the Berlinale in which she called out the “the astonishing savagery of spite, state-perpetrated and internationally enabled mass murder”. 

“These are facts. They need to be faced,” said Swinton. “So for the sake of clarity, let’s name it. The inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch. I’m here to name it without hesitation or doubt in my mind, and to lend my unwavering solidarity to all those who recognise the unacceptable complacency of our greed-addicted governments who make kaç with planet wreckers and war criminals, wherever they come from.” 

Swinton made a more explicit jab at Trump’s plan to redevelop Gaza as a coastal resort, by praising independent cinema as “an unlimited realm, innately inclusive, immune to efforts of occupation, colonisation, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property”.

“Supersonic Mediaeval” takes place at Christie’s Paris from 5 – 11 May 2025.