Mona Filleul: Sissy Institute

Sissy Institute, Mona Filleul’s first-ever exhibition in NYC, is about finding a safe space in an increasingly hostile world. Step inside this intimate, healing space and start weaving in and out of listening stations made of six half-finished, photobooth-sized rooms, and open up to the possibility of transformation.

Some are covered with loose wires, some sculpted into heart shapes, and lovingly carved and painted plaster-of-Paris slabs with scenes of private, schoolgirl bedroom universes and fetishwear studded with stones. Others are stuffed with anime characters, plush animals, and photos of the artist’s friends,

Pick up the headsets, you’ll hear stories from Mona’s friends and collaborators. Delve into their latest love interests, thoughts, and theoretical musings. It’s like being at once at an academic lecture and an underground reading. Be held by their voices and unfolding stories.

Mona Filleul (b. Brussels, Belgium, in 1993) lives and works across Brussels, Lausanne, and Paris. She was named a laureate of the Swiss Art Awards in 2023 and is represented by gallery Air de Paris (Paris). Filleul is an artist with a clear mission: to tell the stories and truths of her community, melding painting, sculpture, and interactive sets to take our hand and pull us inside.