Véronique Caye's Polynesia 66: A Journey Through Nuclear History

French artist Véronique Caye presents 'Polynesia 66, carnet de constellations' at Jeu de Paume in Paris until September 17, 2026. The project follows her father Emmanuel Caye, a veterinarian who served on Reao atoll in 1966 during France's first nuclear tests in the Pacific. Caye traveled to French Polynesia from December 2024 to January 2026 to explore family history and the transgenerational effects of radiation. The exhibition combines private and official documents, photographs, and films to question the persistence of nuclear history. Caye, a graduate of Université Paris VIII and La Fémis, and a participant in the 2015 Biennale de Venice College-Teatro under Romeo Castellucci, investigates the link between her father's exposure and their shared skin cancers. The work references the 193 nuclear tests conducted by France between 1966 and 1996, including 46 atmospheric and 147 underground tests on Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls. Caye's research includes consultations at the Délégation de Suivi des Conséquences des Essais Nucléaires (DSCEN) in Tahiti and meetings with experts like Patrick, former director of IRSN in Tahiti. The title phrase 'Ma peau est un paysage' opens her travel journal, reflecting on scars and moles as constellations.