Stan Douglas's 'Bodies Never Lie' at Luma Arles Challenges Historical Narratives
The Luma Foundation in Arles presents Canadian artist Stan Douglas's exhibition 'Bodies Never Lie,' running through 2026/2027. The show features five video works, including the new 'Exquisite Corpse,' a vertical triptych of flamenco musicians critiquing Franco-era manipulation. Older works like 'Hors-champs' (1992) and 'Doppelgänger' (2019) explore media and history. Douglas avoids appropriation, instead restaging events with meticulous research. The exhibition also includes large-scale photographs from three series, including a recreation of Penn Station and '2011#1848' documenting protests. Luma collaborates with the Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles. Douglas, from Vancouver, distances himself from Jeff Wall.
Key facts
- Stan Douglas's exhibition 'Bodies Never Lie' at Luma Arles runs 2026/2027.
- The show includes five video works: 'Hors-champs' (1992), 'Doppelgänger' (2019), 'Exquisite Corpse' (2026), and two others.
- 'Exquisite Corpse' is a vertical triptych of flamenco performers critiquing Franco's regime.
- 'Hors-champs' contrasts a TV broadcast with a raw film of a free jazz performance.
- 'Doppelgänger' features a Black astronaut returning to Earth after 60 years.
- Large-format photographs include recreations of Penn Station and protest documentation.
- Luma collaborates with the Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles.
- Douglas is from Vancouver and does not want to be associated with Jeff Wall.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Luma Foundation
- Luma Arles
- Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles
- Victoria Miro
- David Zwirner
- LUMA Arles
Locations
- Arles
- France
- Vancouver
- Canada
- Spain
- Penn Station