Theater of Life

Theater of Life is a photographic exhibition exploring expressions of love, tension, and intimacy in public space. Marseille and Atlanta have very different built environments, but within the context of public space, the residents of these cities express universal relationships with and to their respective geographies.

Photographers Ken West and Yohanne Lamoulère present selected images that show the similarities of the human condition in Atlanta and Marseille, despite obvious differences in the built and natural environments of those cities. In Theater of Life, these photographs draw connections between people and their relationships in/with public space, in ways that frame even the simplest and subtlest of moments as a personal, social, or political statement. Theater of Life is presented in public space, in the windows of the Hotel Row, thus offering themselves to the eyes of passers-by on Mitchell Street in Downtown Atlanta.

An event celebrating the exhibition opening will be held Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 6-8:30pm.

• 6pm: Viewing of exhibition (located at Hotel Row, 223-225 Mitchell Street)
• 6:30pm: Reception (located at South Dwntn marketing center, 170 Mitchell Street SW)
• 7pm: Artist talk (located at South Dwntn marketing center, 170 Mitchell Street SW)

Theater of Life is presented by Villa Albertine as part of City/Cité and France-Atlanta, in partnership with Arts and Entertainment Atlanta, Atlanta Downtown, South Dwntn, A.M.I and Friche la Belle de Mai. Made possible with the support of the Institut Français. 

Theater of Life is curated by Floyd Hall and Elodie Le Breut.

Yohanne Lamoulère was born in Nîmes, France and lives and works in Marseille. Graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure de Photographie, Arles, in 2004, her preferred subjects are the outskirts of cities and the protean nature of insularity. In 2018 she published Faux Bourgs (Éditions Le Bec en l’air), a compilation of her series on Marseille. Her work has been the subject of many exhibitions : MUCEM, Marseille; Festival Portrait(s), Vichy; Fondation Schneider, Wattwiller; Festival ImageSingulières, Sète; Clervaux-Cité de l’image, Luxembourg; and is featured in public and private collections (CNAP, BnF, Neuflize-OBC). Member of the Tendance Floue collective, she is currently preparing her first film, L’œil Noir.

Ken West is an American photographer based in Atlanta, known for his work on the African-American community. His work focuses on the beauty of everyday things. His book The Beauty of Everyday Thangs  allows us to embrace the imperfection of our lives. Ken West was born in the historic Bordeaux neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee.  From an early age he was fascinated by the world of storytelling that surrounded him.  His images have been used in national advertising campaigns for Fortune 50 brands and are held in several private and public collections.  Ken West has exhibited internationally including the Mint Museum, Gallery 72, and Eidelweiss Gallery in Berlin, and Atlanta’s Mayor’s Gallery at City Hall.

Floyd Hall is an artist, engineer, cultural producer, writer, and documentarian from Atlanta, Georgia. As an artist and curator his work often relates to the intersection of culture, media, and technology as platforms to construct narratives of place. In 2023 he curated the Science Gallery Atlanta exhibition, JUSTICE; in 2022 he co-curated the inaugural Science Gallery Atlanta exhibition, HOOKED. In 2021 he co-curated the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) exhibition, The Future Happened: Designing the Future of Music. He holds a BS in Mathematics from Morehouse College, a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from Columbia University. 

Elodie Le Breut is the Director of A.M.I, an organization dedicated to support the innovative music scene in Marseille, at the Friche la Belle de Mai. She works specifically on the strategic development, as well as the general and artistic programming. AMI manages six rehearsal studios, creation residencies, artistic practice workshops, stage coaching sessions for emerging groups and cultural entrepreneurs, as well as artistic and technical training. Before A.M.I., Elodie Le Breut worked as a journalist at Radio Grenouille (Marseille) for a show dedicated to experimental and new musics in the world. She was also an international development advisor for the Gabonese record label ZORBAM Produxions, and an artistic advisor for BALOJI, Belgian artist and rapper.