Global Inversion Inversion: Lassana Sarre shines a light on the security staff at the Palais de Tokyo

The Palais de Tokyo unveils Globale Inversion Inversion, an on-site work by Lassana Sarre dedicated to the security teams of the art center in Paris, on view since June 5, 2026. The painter redirects attention to the people who greet, watch over, and accompany the public each day.

The Palais de Tokyo presents Globale Inversion Inversion, an in situ work by French artist Lassana Sarre, developed in collaboration with the security and safety teams of the art center, and in place since June 5, 2026. Through this project designed specifically for the venue, the painter draws attention to the people who welcome, oversee, and accompany the public on a daily basis, while generally operating out of the spotlight.

To develop this intervention, Lassana Sarre spent several months with the staff working in the spaces of the Palais de Tokyo. Building on a project started during a stint in the United States with security personnel at a New York museum, the artist shared their daily routines, observed their habits, and gathered fragments of conversations, memories, and experiences. His project thus takes as its starting point trajectories that are often invisible, though directly tied to how the cultural institution operates.

Deployed as wall paintings paired with a sound installation broadcast through the circulation areas, the work turns its attention to the ordinary moments that punctuate the workday: meals eaten on staggered schedules, informal exchanges, wait times, and movements through the building. Drawing on history painting, social realism, and allegory, Lassana Sarre redirects the spotlight away from the works usually on display and toward the people who safeguard them and keep them accessible.

Born in Paris in 1994 and raised in Vitry-sur-Seine, Lassana Sarre develops a painting practice centered on reinterpreting historical narratives and identity representations. After several group exhibitions at MAC VAL, at the Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration, and at the Villa Arson, the artist continues here a reflection on the quiet figures who participate in communal life. With Globale Inversion Inversion, the Palais de Tokyo also becomes a space for observing those who, in the course of their duties, occupy a position that is both visible and often overlooked.

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