Lily Of The Valley

From May 5 to June 20, 2026, Les Filles Du Calvaire, Paris, presents "Lily of the Valley," the first solo exhibition by Michel Jocaille. The artist uses the lily of the valley, a flower associated with May Day, as a motif that is both tender and loaded with meaning. This small white bell, offered at the start of spring, evokes memories of workers' struggles as well as popular interiors. Originating from the textile region of Northern France, Jocaille creates a dialogue between industrial heritage and cultural patrimony, contrasting factories with domestic crafts like crochet, tatting, and canvas work.

Jocaille's practice involves installation and sculpture, assembling heterogeneous materials. His work embraces a camp aesthetic, celebrating artificiality, exaggeration, and theatricality. By referencing fluidity and hybridization, the artist questions identity constructions and normative narratives. His approach combines plastic research with critical reflection, aiming to subvert value hierarchies and imposed classifications. "Lily of the Valley" is presented not as a commemoration, but as a presence, a way of holding together collective memory and intimate narrative, apparent softness and silent strength.