29 April 2015
The Jeu de Paume is paying tribute to Taryn Simon with an exhibition presenting eight different works created between 2000 and today. Using a variety of media (photography, texts, video), the American artist tackles the problem of the ambiguity of images and reflects on the theme of photographic invisibility, investigating the spaces around us that are concealed by impassable barriers. As in An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, where she documents a series of sites barred to the civilian population, including government, scientific and military institutions. Or in The Innocents, a set of portraits of wrongly convicted individuals, photographed in places connected with the crime of which they had been falsely accused. Impenetrability, absence, deception: Simon’s pictures confront the viewer with the fragility of documentation, illuminating what is hidden and underlining its inaccessibility.
Taryn Simon, Rear Views, A Star-forming Nebula, and the Office of Foreign Propaganda
Jeu de Paume
Curated by Ami Barak
February 24 > May 17, 2015
Paris
Taryn Simon, The Innocents, 2002. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Charles Irvin Fain. Scene of the crime, the Snake River, Melba, Idaho. Served 18 years of a Death sentence for Murder, Rape and Kidnapping.
Taryn Simon, The Innocents, 2002. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Larry Mayes. Scene of arrest, The Royal Inn, Gary, Indiana Police found Mayes hiding beneath a mattress in this room. Served 18.5 years of an 80-year sentence for Rape, Robbery and Unlawful Deviate Conduct.
Taryn Simon, The Innocents, 2002. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Troy Webb. Scene of the crime, The Pines, Virginia Beach, Virginia Served 7 years of a 47-year sentence for Rape, Kidnapping and Robbery.
Taryn Simon, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, 2007. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
NGC 281, The Pacman Nebula. Kitt Peak National Observatory Tohono O’odham Reservation, Arizona.
Taryn Simon, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, 2007. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Hymenoplasty Cosmetic Surgery, P.A. Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Taryn Simon, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, 2007. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Nuclear Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility, Cherenkov Radiation. Hanford Site, U.S. Department of Energy Southeastern Washington State.
Taryn Simon, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, 2007. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
White Tiger (Kenny), Selective Inbreeding Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Foundation Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Taryn Simon, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, 2007. Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Cryopreservation Unit, Cryonics Institute, Clinton Township, Michigan.
Taryn Simon, Contraband, 2010. Oxalis tuberosa, Peru (7CFR) (prohibited) Detail, Oca (Prohibited). Courtesy: Taryn Simon.
Taryn Simon