Jeu de Paume

SUSAN MEISELAS
06 February 2018 – 20 May 2018

Curators: Carles Guerra and Pia Viewing

A member of Magnum Photos since 1976, Susan Meiselas (b. 1948, Baltimore) questions documentary practice. She became known through her work in conflict zones of Central America in the 1970s and 1980s in particular due to the strength of her colour photographs. Covering many subjects and countries, from war to human rights issues and from cultural identity to the sex industry, Meiselas uses photography, film, video and sometimes archive material, as she relentlessly explores and develops narratives integrating the participation of her subjects in her works.

The exhibition highlights Susan Meiselas’ unique personal as well as geopolitical approach, showing how she moves through time and conflict and how she constantly questions the photographic process and her role as witness.

It is the most comprehensive retrospective of her work ever held in France. It retraces her trajectory since the 1970s as a visual artist who associates her subjects to her approach and questions the status of images in relation to the context in which they are perceived.

For the retrospective at the Jeu de Paume, Susan Meiselas has created a new work, begun in 2015, based on her involvement with Multistory, an organization based in the United Kingdom. This last series A Room of Their Own was shot in a refuge for women and focuses on domestic violence. The installation includes five narrative video works, featuring Meiselas’ photographs, first-hand testimonies, collages and drawings.