How do you see your loved ones in order to say who you are to the world?

As an extension of his commitment to the ballroom scene, Kiddy Smile transposes his experience to a personal, introspective project that explores the internal bonds and dynamics of his community.

Founded in resistance to phenomena of exclusion, the ballroom scene is a microcosm with its own codes. At the crossroads between celebration, stage representation, creation and competition, the temporality of the ballroom crystallizes the shared lives of the Houses that rub shoulders and do battle.

A HOUSE SHOULD BE A HOME formulates the idea of the House, and by extension the ballroom scene, as an immaterial space providing refuge through the love and friendship of a chosen family, a haven from the outside world. Across a range of media, Kiddy Smile fondly explores the interpersonal and family relationships of the people around him, as well as their relationship to society. He highlights the contrast between their individual and collective existences, while emphasizing the dichotomy between their need to appear and exist in an environment where visibility is both a necessity and a daily struggle.

“Role model,” “friends,” “kids,” “opponents,” “mothers and fathers”: the works recount the roles, lives and multiple relationships of individuals whose destinies shine, not because they are unconventional, but because their hearts are strong and their souls inventive. And what emerges is the self-effacing portrait of their creator, distilled in each of them.

Produced by Le Nouveau Printemps. An exhibition conceived with freelance curator Mathilda Portoghese.
With thanks to Indivision Belin and BELIN PROMOTION for Chapelle des Cordeliers.