Lorna Simpson's First Major French Retrospective at Jeu de Paume

Lorna Simpson's first major retrospective in France, curated by Joan Simon at the Jeu de Paume in Paris from May 28 to September 1, 2013, explores memory, stereotype, identity, gender, fact, and fiction through phototexts, videos, and found images. Since 1980, her phototexts often depict a Black woman in a white dress from behind, with text panels inviting viewer interpretation. Works like 'Waterbear' (1986) reference pictorial tradition while subverting narrative. 'Stereo Styles' (1988) presents multiple hairstyles of a Black woman from behind, with ambiguous captions allowing stereotypical or alternative readings. Admiring Joseph Beuys, Simpson began using felt in the mid-1980s, creating monumental silkscreens on felt such as 'Wigs II' (1994-2005) and landscapes like 'The Rock,' 'The Car,' and 'Staircase,' accompanied by long texts. Drawings like 'Gold Headed' (2013) contrast with the video 'Momentum' (2010), where dancers in gold bodysuits spin and escape, evoking ephemeral beauty. Simpson also appropriated photobooth images from eBay, framed in bronze, in 'Gather' and 'Please Remind Me of Who I Am,' presenting overlooked Black beauties. The video 'Chess' (2013), created for the exhibition, uses mirrors, makeup, and wigs to blur gender and time, with pianist Jason Moran improvising. In 'Cloudscape' (2004), musician Terry Adkins whistles a hymn in a fog-filled room, becoming a spectral silhouette.