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- Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris
14 Oct - 17 May 2026
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The exhibition All Inclusive at the Cité de l'Économie (Citéco) presents a compelling dialogue between the high-gloss aesthetics of travel and the complex machinery of global tourism. Through thirty striking works by Canadian photographer Kourtney Roy, the curation explores the friction between the idealized "vacation dream" and the underlying economic realities. By staging these vibrant, cinematic images within the neo-Renaissance grandeur of the Hôtel Gaillard, the exhibition highlights how the tourism industry functions as a powerful economic force, often masking its social and environmental impacts behind a veneer of tropical perfection and leisure.
Central to the showcase are three distinct photographic series—In Between Worlds, The Tourist, and Sorry, No Vacancy—which collectively map a diverse topography of displacement. In The Tourist, Roy adopts a satirical lens, casting herself in exaggerated, stereotypical poses that mirror the artifice of a vintage postcard. Key works like Ceviche and Yellow Ferry utilize saturated colors and highly composed backdrops to evoke the 1950s travel aesthetic, yet they simultaneously reveal the cracks in this manufactured glamour. These pieces serve as a sharp critique of contemporary travel habits, transforming familiar scenes of cruise ships and sun-drenched beaches into sites of quiet, performative unease.
The historical and economic significance of the exhibition lies in its ability to deconstruct the tourism industry as a globalized commodity. While Roy’s work in In Between Worlds captures the suspended, liminal time of ferry crossings and transit—as seen in Arrivée à Sardaigne—the accompanying scientific discourse provided by Citéco sheds light on the economic weight of these movements. The curation addresses pressing issues such as climate change, social inequalities in access to travel, and the transformation of local economies. This dual approach ensures that the visitor is not merely a spectator of beautiful imagery but an active participant in questioning the sustainability of the "all-inclusive" lifestyle.
The emotional resonance of the exhibition is found in its delicate balance of humor and melancholy. Roy’s cinematic stagings, inspired by Italian neorealism and the whimsical characters of Fellini, evoke a sense of nostalgic longing while remaining firmly rooted in a critique of the present. The exhibition invites a profound reflection on how we inhabit the world as tourists, moving between the desire for escape and the reality of our ecological footprint. Ultimately, All Inclusive is a vibrant yet unsettling journey that challenges the viewer to look beneath the sunny surfaces of travel advertisements to find the intricate, often destructive, web of cultural and economic exchanges that define our modern era.
Highlights
- The exhibition features thirty striking works by Canadian photographer Kourtney Roy that explore the friction between vacation dreams and economic realities.
- Explore the series The Tourist, where the artist adopts various personas to inhabit and critique the aesthetics of global travel.
- View evocative selections from the In Between Worlds collection, capturing cinematic scenes of displacement and transitory spaces.
- Discover the vibrant yet haunting imagery of the Sorry, No Vacancy series staged within the historic neo-Renaissance grandeur of the Hôtel Gaillard.
- Experience a compelling dialogue between high-gloss travel aesthetics and the complex machinery of the global tourism industry.
- Analyze how Roy uses cinematic, saturated photography to deconstruct the glossy artifice of modern vacation fantasies.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kourtney Roy: All Inclusive
Yes, access to 'Kourtney Roy: All Inclusive' is included with the standard admission ticket to Cité de l'Économie, allowing you to explore both the permanent collections and this temporary exhibition.
Visitors typically spend about 45 minutes to 1 hour exploring the thirty photographic works and cinematic installations that make up the 'All Inclusive' collection.
Yes, photography for personal, non-commercial use is permitted. We ask that you refrain from using flash or professional equipment to preserve the artwork and the experience of other guests.
The exhibition is accessible to all audiences, though its themes of global tourism and economic paradoxes are most engaging for adults and students interested in contemporary photography and social issues.
Yes, the Cité de l'Économie is a fully accessible venue, and 'Kourtney Roy: All Inclusive' is located in galleries that are reachable by elevator for visitors with reduced mobility.
Citéco often provides digital mediation tools or booklets that are included in the ticket price to help explain the economic context behind Kourtney Roy's 'All Inclusive' series.
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