Walking down Washington Mews, the plant-covered buildings and cobblestone street set the mood for an evening of indulgence in French culture. Stepping into NYU’s quaint La Maison Française, one could mistakenly think they’re in France. Currently housed in this cultural house, ORLAN’s unconventional and bizarre exhibition, “Je t’autorise à être moi, je m’autorise à être toi,” meaning I authorize you to be me, I authorize myself to be you, confronts viewers and implores them to reevaluate their perspectives on feminism. 

Renowned French multimedia artist ORLAN works at the intersection of social and political commentary and art. She is most famous for her 1990s performance-art series in which she underwent nine plastic surgery procedures to look like the female subjects of famous paintings. Her exhibition at La Maison Français highlights women in history who fought for feminism. 

Each image, which are continuations of what she calls “self-hybridization,” ORLAN dresses up as a different trailblazing woman and places herself against a background true to where these women are from. For example, she dresses up as feminist philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir and places herself in front of  a Parisian cafe. 

In addition to de Beauvoir, ORLAN portrays Spanish lawyer and politician Clara Campoamor, English mathematician Ada Lovelace, French artist and filmmaker Agnès Varda, Holocaust survivor and the first female president of the European Parliament, Simone Veil, and Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi. 

ORLAN brings Veil — who was especially prominent during the ongoing fight for women’s bodily autonomy — to the spotlight in the exhibition. “ORLAN ADMIRES AND HYBRIDATES TO: Simone Veil (1927-2017)” recreates an image of Veil sitting at her desk and includes references to her fight to legalize abortion in France in the early 1970s. On Veil’s desk, there is a placard opposing dangerous back-alley abortions. In the background of the image, ORLAN is also seen dressed as Picasso’s portrait of Dora Maar, encouraging women to free themselves of the constrictions of the past. 

The most striking piece in the show is “ORLAN ADMIRES AND HYBRIDATES TO: Narges Mohammadi (1972 – ).” Mohammadi has been imprisoned in Iran for two decades, and this photograph of ORLAN is the only hybridization that depicts a woman who is still alive today. ORLAN represents Mohammadi with a broken handcuff in one hand and a Nobel Peace Prize — which she was awarded in 2023 — in the other. Below her is an image of the prison that Mohammadi is being held in. A beautiful and powerful portrayal of bravery in advancing feminist movements, this work was easily the most powerful of the exhibition. 

“Je t’autorise à être moi, je m’autorise à être toi,” strategically portrays six prominent feminists, praising their work in the fight for women’s rights in an unconventional, creative way. While reflecting on the history of women’s rights, ORLAN’s abnormal artwork inspires viewers to reconsider their own beliefs about feminism, and how this introspection can accelerate the fight for gender equality.  

Contact Eva Mundo at [email protected].