Jeu de Paume opens “The Supermarket of Images”
In February, Jeu de Paume presents “The Supermarket of Images”, a major collective exhibition, the first to occupy all of its spaces. Following in the footsteps of Walter Benjamin who, a century ago, prophesied a “space one hundred percent held by the image”, the institution of the Jardin des Tuileries deconstructs the omnipresence and omnipotence of the image in our society. The exhibition is divided into five themes: “Stocks” (the issue of storing images), “Raw materials” (the component of the image), “Work”, “Values” and “Exchanges”. This week, Jeu de Paume invited close friends, professionals and art lovers to discover the exhibition. The visit began with the discovery of a monumental work by Evan Roth. With the support of the Friends of the Jeu de Paume, the American artist has wallpapered the entire ground floor with a myriad of images taken (without selection or hierarchy) from his web cache since the birth of his second daughter. A veritable visual explosion, “Since You Were Born” draws the portrait of a generation permeated by technology and the constant flow of images, and sets the tone for the exhibition. Among the works not to be missed: “Gerry Images” by Geraldine Juarez that offers the visitor the opportunity to take a picture of him/herself in front of a mirror on which the Getty Images logo is printed and Sophie Calle’s “Cash Machine”, a photographic series taken from the surveillance cameras of a bank, and the emblem of the photography of consumer society, Andreas Gursky’s “Amazon”. Here’s a look back at the opening of the exhibition, followed by a private cocktail at the Hôtel Talleyrand with Lou Doillon, Sophie Calle, ORLAN, Johan Creten and Hugo Marchand.
