Total: Martine Syms’ supermarket exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations

A supermarket exhibition in the heart of a museum… No, we are not in an art gallery, but in Lafayette Anticipationswhich invites you to discover the very first retrospective exhibition in France by the American artist Martine Syms. From October 16, 2024 to February 9, 2025, this cultural space is transformed into a new kind of concept store, where each visitor is invited to explore a total work of art, including art objects that you can buy.

Don’t expect paintings or other sculptures, like you might find in a gallery… Here, it’s the experience of “supermarket” which becomes a work of art, inviting you to wander through the “shelves” discovering notebooks, t-shirts with evocative messages or those dear to the artist and other straps, all on sale, as if you were in a souvenir shop, and at very affordable prices.

Martine Symsborn in 1988 in Los Angeles and graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago a you Bard Collegehas built an international reputation for her impactful works. For this Parisian retrospective, she designed a hybrid space where art and commerce mix. Visitors can not only contemplate his creations since 2007 but also acquire objects created in collaboration with various brands. The works are presented in all spaces of the foundation, offering a global and immersive vision of its artistic journey.

L’exposition is divided into several zones, imitating the different parts of a store : from sales areas to back offices, generally inaccessible to the public. This staging in the style of a film set allows us to rethink the notions of desire, metamorphosis and identity. Martine Syms thus questions the daily rituals of commerce and their impact on our perception of ourselves and others. Visitors can interact with sellers/performersadding an interactive and performative dimension to the experience. The last room, the Security HQoffers you a glimpse of the experience, with the broadcast of live images of visitors strolling through the exhibition (no recording, don’t worry).

Between intimate references and historical archives, Martine Syms explores the identities imposed by stereotypes and collective representations. His work, often anchored in themes linked to spirituality and the presentation of oneself, is intended to be a profound reflection on identity constructions. The opportunity to delve into the rich and complex universe of a renowned contemporary artist. Ready to discover his work at Lafayette Anticipations ?

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