Conference | Marion Zilio

What if the "self" were merely a fiction, a subtle mesh of representations and discourses? And what if the face was merely the medium for these meanings, evolving in step with mentalities and conceptions of the world? If a society is first and foremost defined by the way it sees itself, the face is a privileged prism for grasping the paradigms of an era. It reveals the way in which individuals represent themselves, think of themselves, idealize themselves - in short, "reflect" themselves, in both senses of the word. From masks to selfies, the history of the face is that of an invention that ignores itself. An invention that placed the human species, or rather the white Western man, at the top of a pyramid that was about to be inverted. Because it's impossible to perceive oneself, man has endowed himself with "artificial organs" that extend his ego. The mask is the archaic version of this phenomenon of externalization which, from the establishment of the modern subject through photography to our digital avatars, constantly reshapes our identities.

Marion Zilio

Marion Zilio is a teacher, author and curator. Her publications include Faceworld. Le visage au 21e siècle, (PUF, 2018), and Le livre des larves. How we became our prey (PUF, 2020). Her next book, La lutte des mondes. Fascism and Delirium in the Age of Multiverses, is due out in 2026.

Discover our conference cycle for the 2025-26 season

This lecture series is a co-production of UCArts - Direction de la Culture d'Université Côte d'Azur and the Musée National du XX^e siècle des Alpes-Maritimes. The six lectures are organized in partnership with the association des Amis du musée national Marc Chagall.

Photo: © DR, 2025