“Poupée de peau” by Noémie Ninot

At Alo Galerie, Noémie Ninot transforms her own face into a site of investigation with “Poupée de peau”

It is difficult to leave “Poupée de peau” unaffected. From the very first portraits, something feels unsettling. The faces all resemble one another, yet none of them are completely identical. Rosy cheeks, darkened eyes, slightly parted lips: the figures appear suspended somewhere between mannequin, doll, and mask. And yet behind these thirty portraits lies only one body: Noémie Ninot herself.

Presented at Alo Galerie in Paris until May 30, the exhibition examines how ideas of femininity are constructed and repeated through social norms and male expectations. Through photography, sculpture, video, and installation, Noémie Ninot focuses on repetition, self-portraiture, and the way bodies become standardized.

Turning data into bodies

The project began with a simple question. The artist asked hundreds of men on dating apps: “What are the physical criteria of the ideal woman?”

The answers, treated almost like research data, revealed recurring patterns and surprisingly similar expectations. The exhibition highlights how these supposedly individual preferences are often shaped by the same cultural codes and heteronormative standards.

Instead of directly illustrating the responses, Noémie Ninot uses her own body and face as material. Through latex, makeup, photography, and sculpture, she recreates different versions of femininity based on these projected ideals. The result is both familiar and uncanny.

Noémie Ninot searches femininity as performance

Indeed, material plays an important role throughout the exhibition. Painted latex often blends with skin while still revealing textures, folds, and imperfections. This creates uncertainty around what viewers are actually looking at: a real face, a mask, or a sculptural object.

The repetition of nearly identical faces reinforces the feeling of artificiality. Each portrait seems shaped by external expectations rather than individuality. Through these works, Noémie Ninot shows femininity not as something natural, but as something constructed, performed, and constantly adjusted to fit social norms.

A contemporary exhibition between photography, sculpture, and installation

At the center of the exhibition, a sculpture of a young girl lying in a cradle introduces another dimension to the project. The sculpture references vulnerability, control, and the way society culturally assigns femininity from an early age. At the same time, the sculpture resists passivity through its physical tension and positioning.

What makes “Poupée de peau” effective is that it never feels overly theoretical despite the complexity of its themes. The exhibition remains direct, visual, and physical. The silicone textures, repeated portraits, rigid gazes, and sculptural installations create an atmosphere that feels intimate but also deeply uncomfortable.

At a time when beauty standards, self-image, and online representations dominate visual culture, Noémie Ninot’s work feels particularly relevant. “Poupée de peau” examines how femininity is shaped, consumed, and performed while exposing the mechanisms behind these expectations.

For anyone interested in contemporary photography, feminist art, or exhibitions dealing with identity and representation, “Poupée de peau” is one of the most interesting exhibitions currently on view in Paris before it closes on May 30.

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