Martine Syms: Total

Syms’ first retrospective in France, “Total”, examines the theatre of the everyday, focusing on the roles people play and the surveillance mechanisms that control them. Syms blends museum, shop, and studio spaces, connecting the public with the private, the visible with the unseen. The show brings together both old works and newly produced objects, tracing Syms’ interest in images, their influence on reality, and their role in shaping identity. “Total” looks at the spread of surveillance and constant image capture, presenting life as a film in continuous production. Featuring intimate references, historical archives, and reflections on blackness and feminist history, the exhibition transforms into a social space for the invention, performance, and reflection of identity.

Curator: Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel
Artist: Martine Syms