Conceiving one’s life as a creative force is the vector shared by the 80 international artists featuring in the new temporary exhibition at MAC VAL. Titled “Lignes de vies – une exposition de légendes” (Lifelines – an Exhibition of Legends), and running from 30 March to 25 August 2019, this new highlight in the life of the Musée d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne brings together work by several different generations of artists, representing every kind of practice, from photography to video via painting, installation, performance and writing.

It continues a programme that, ever since the museum first opened in 2005, has worked to question modalities and instances in the construction of identity – or rather, identities, initiated with the exhibitions “Détours” by Jacques Monory (2005) and “Le Grand Sommeil” by Claude Levêque (2006). With the cycle “Zones de Productivités Concertées” (2006–7) and again the group show “Emporte-moi/Sweep me off my feet” (2009–10), it then went on to analyse the role of the economy and of emotion in our lives. Next it was on to gender (and, more precisely, masculinity) with “Chercher le garçon” (2015) and even cultural identity in “Tous, des sang-mêlés” (2017).

All the works shown in the extensive exhibition space deconstruct, analyse, critique or interrogate the phenomena and processes that shape and legitimise identity/identities. There are no narcissistic or self-centred gestures here; rather, the artists reconstruct and propose – more than new identities: chosen identities.