Jérémie Danon & Kiddy Smile – RIDE, 2024

The individual, their identity and their place in society are at the heart of Jérémie Danon’s work. Using photography, video and painting, the artist chronicles, through observation and questions, time spent and moments shared with individuals whose experiences have nothing to do with his own. Questioning his legitimacy — as a white man — to render the words and stories of racial and social minorities, Jérémie Danon has teamed up with Kiddy Smile, whose intersectional work question what it means to be French.

The video installation RIDE explores the representation of black bodies in the French cultural and media landscape. Jérémie Danon and Kiddy Smile put people from a variety of backgrounds together in cars to share their thoughts and personal experiences. As the cars drive through the night, the passengers talk, and the camera records stories about the representation and anonymisation of racialised bodies on film. From one vehicle to the other, the various accounts contrast and come together as the night wears on. At the end of this night drive through the city, the protagonists join together to dance and celebrate their shared cultural heritage. At the interface of documentary and visual expression, RIDE uses a space for speaking, listening and trust to translate collective expressions of trauma into testimonies of hope.