Photo : Les Douches Galerie
Rebekka Deubner. Strip
An orange-red background, almost incandescent. An irregular yellow loop, attached by a small ring to what appears to be a fragment of fabric, showing seams from which a few frayed threads escape. The material has been worn, it has certainly even adapted to the shape of a body. Something seems to have been inscribed there, in the very tension of the material, on the glossy surface of the photographic paper.
Les Douches la Galerie (Paris 3rd)
About
"The story of this photogram begins in 2018, the year artist Rebekka Deubner suddenly lost her mother, Valérie. Surrounded by her family, she had to perform those very concrete gestures that fall to those who remain. Taking inventory of Valérie’s life is one of them: opening drawers wide, emptying closets, deciding what will stay and what must go. One day, above a pile of clothes, a red stain caught her eye: it was one of her mother’s panties, which she photographed immediately, almost without thinking. Perhaps because this object represents a more immediate intimacy than the others, perhaps because its intense color contrasts with everything else. (...)
The photogram then offers Rebekka Deubner a direct relationship to this material. In the darkroom, the carefully chosen pieces are placed directly on the photosensitive paper before being exposed to light. No camera intervenes, allowing her to focus on a transparency or the thickness of a textile. Familiar forms sometimes become difficult to recognize. A piece of lingerie is reduced to a line or a mass, while light redistributes the volumes according to a logic that is no longer that of daily use. Color also finds its place: reds, blues, and greens give the photograms an almost joyful intensity that contrasts with the context of their creation. This apparent abstraction, however, never completely erases the material history of what is placed on the paper. The fabrics that produce these photograms were shaped by their use before coming, in turn, to mark the sensitive surface. An imprint of the imprint left by Valérie."
Excerpt from the text by Julie Héraut, Deputy Director of Le BAL (18th arrondissement).
Our take on this event
Witness how grief is transformed into something beautifully tangible in this striking exhibition of photograms. By placing personal belongings directly onto sensitive paper, the artist captures haunting, abstract traces that turn everyday textures into vibrant emotional landscapes.
Rebekka Deubner presents Strip at Les Douches, a photographic exhibition exploring grief and memory. Starting in 2018 following the death of her mother, the artist used photograms to capture the essence of everyday items, specifically intimate apparel. By placing textiles directly onto light-sensitive paper in the darkroom, Deubner creates abstract compositions that reveal the shapes and textures of her mother’s belongings in a vivid, new light. This exhibition is open to the public free of charge from November 13, 2026, to January 16, 2027, located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.
Les Douches gallery hosts the exhibition Strip by Rebekka Deubner, a body of work born from a personal journey of remembrance. Following the loss of her mother, Valérie, in 2018, the artist began documenting her mother’s personal effects, focusing on clothing that held a sense of immediate intimacy. Through the technique of photograms, Deubner bypassed traditional cameras to allow the objects themselves to leave their mark on light-sensitive paper, exploring the intersection of fabric, transparency, and memory.
The process involves arranging materials in the darkroom to shift their familiar silhouettes into abstract forms. Volumes are redefined by light, and intense reds, blues, and greens provide a joyful contrast to the circumstances of the work's creation. The final images serve as imprints of imprints, documenting the history of the materials while transforming them into evocative visual art.
The exhibition is on view from November 13, 2026, until January 16, 2027. You can visit from Wednesday to Saturday between 14:00 and 19:00. Admission is free for all attendees. The gallery is located at 54, rue Chapon in the 3rd arrondissement.
10°C
Weather forecast
Clear sky
max +10 °Cmin +04 °C
