National Story

Blending documentary and fiction, National Story examines the space afforded in French society to the descendants of enslaved people. 

While visiting museums in Bordeaux, La Rochelle, and Nantes, she was struck by 18th-century portraits of families of shipowners and industrialists who had grown wealthy through the slave trade and slavery. These paintings reflect a social status and material wealth derived from the deportation and enslavement of thousands of people. 

The photographer placed a classified ad asking people who identify as descendants of enslaved people to pose in the style of these paintings, because she believes that the wealth and prestige depicted in these portraits rightfully belong to them. 

The artist photographed ten people from Guadeloupe, Réunion, French Guiana, Martinique, Haiti, Dominica… Each person also shared a personal oral account—in their own words—about slavery, after which the artist created a second portrait, both photographic and on video, in a location that reflected each participant’s wishes and personality.