GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! : More than an exhibition: it’s a movement!

6 - 21 June 2025

GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! explores how three generations of women—those now in their 20s, 30s, and 40s—have navigated and redefined the cultural aesthetics shaped by the R&B boom. From the music that defined their youth to the fashion that influenced their self-expression, the exhibition highlights how these elements have both empowered and constrained representations of women of color.

Drawing from personal experiences and media portrayals, the featured artists reflect on the ways in which women of color have engaged with, subverted, and reclaimed tropes of femininity in the public eye. More than just an exhibition, GIRLS! GIRLS!

GIRLS! is a movement—one that celebrates bold self-expression and challenges the pressures to conform. It transforms aesthetics once dismissed as excessive into symbols of joy, autonomy, and resistance.
EXHIBITED ARTISTS
- CURATED BY
  Marie Gomis-Trezise
  Marie Gomis-Trezise is a creative director and curator, born into a Senegalese family in the northern districts of Marseille. Raised in a multicultural, working-class environment, her outlook has been deeply shaped by lived experiences of identity, resilience, and community.
  She began her career in the music industry, becoming the first Black A&R at a major label in France. It was there that she developed her instinct for image-making—working closely with photographers and stylists to shape the visual identity of the musicians she represented.
  In 2016, she launched Galerie Number 8, an online platform dedicated to photographers from the African diaspora and the Global South. Later renamed Galerie Gomis, the gallery has built a reputation for its bold vision and distinctive eye. Marie is recognised for her early support of now-acclaimed artists including Campbell Addy, David Uzochukwu, Delali Ayivi, Djeneba Aduayom, Gleeson Paulino, Ib Kamara, and Mous Lamrabat.
  Her work continues to champion underrepresented voices and challenge dominant narratives—amplifying artists who bring fresh, powerful perspectives to contemporary photography and beyond.
- CONTRIBUTOR
  Conceptual input and curatorial by Noelia Portela
  Noelia Portela est une commissaire d’exposition indépendante, enseignante et administratrice culturelle basée à Paris. Elle a étudié à l’école d’Architecture et de Design de l’Université de Victoria Wellington, Nouvelle-Zélande. Sa pratique curatoriale s’intéresse aux récits non-occidentaux, aux questions de mobilité humaine et d’identité.
  
  Elle a occupé divers postes dans des galeries, des organismes artistiques et des foires d’art contemporain, notamment en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Europe et au Royaume-Uni, y compris Enjoy Public Art Gallery, PeterMcLeavy Gallery, AFA Chile pour Feria Ch.Aco, VENICE DESIGN et plus récemment 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. Ses textes ont été publiés dans des revues comme Artishock Magazine (Chile), Relieve Contemporaneo (Argentina) et Obra Latinoamericana (Suisse).
  
  En 2017, elle fonde Persona Curada, un projet curatorial itinérant et expérimental à but non lucratif qui vise à promouvoir l’art contemporain latino-américain, mis en perspective avec la scène artistique française. Avec Persona Curada, elle organise des expositions, des projections, des performances et des débats en collaboration avec des institutions et des espaces d’art contemporain.
  
  Elle fut rapporteuse du Prix AWARE en 2024. En 2025, elle est lauréate du Fluxus Art Projects pour un voyage de recherche curatoriale en collaboration avec The Showroom à Londres. Elle est membre de Heartline.