Would You Wear My Eyes?

Nicolas Lebeau's exhibition "Would You Wear My Eyes?" at Mennour, Paris, explores themes of surveillance, control, and resistance in contemporary urban environments. The exhibition features distorted photographs, often taken in France and Brazil, which have been manipulated on tampered printers. These "poor images," as described by Hito Steyerl, are characterized by their flaws and low data, allowing for wide dissemination as a counter-narrative to mainstream media.

The works address the increasing pervasiveness of surveillance and the resulting atmosphere of suspicion and control. Lebeau incorporates elements of surveillance technology into his visual vocabulary and uses sound installations to evoke discomfort and dispersal. The exhibition also includes images of marginalized individuals, such as clandestine workers and immigrants, highlighting their fragile existence under constant observation. Lebeau contrasts this with images of a religious community, suggesting a retreat into the sacred as a form of resistance against the profane language of surveillance and quantification.