Orlan's Retrospective in Saint-Étienne Celebrates 30 Years of 'Le Baiser de l'artiste'

The Musée d'art moderne in Saint-Étienne, France, hosted the largest retrospective ever dedicated to Orlan, titled 'Orlan: le récit', from May 26 to August 26, 2007. The exhibition marked the artist's return to her hometown and celebrated both her birthday and the 30th anniversary of her iconic work 'Le Baiser de l'artiste'. It featured around a hundred works, including vintage photographs from the 1960s, performances, baroque stagings, the famous surgical operations of the 1990s, and the 'Self-hybridations' series. The show concluded with 'Plan du film', a project initiated in 2001. For this retrospective, Orlan also created new works from old clothes and childhood poems. The opening night included a performance, the launch of a clothing line and a perfume under the brand 'Le Baiser de l'artiste', the release of a poetry collection, and a special wine cuvée named 'l'élan d'Orlan'. Notably, the original 'Le Baiser de l'artiste' was absent from the exhibition. The review notes that a similar retrospective had been held at the Centre national de la photographie just three years prior.