Saturday 28 November: ‘Derrière le voile’, an exhibition and concert at Les Halles de Pau

On Saturday 28 November, we’ll be performing at the Terrasse des Halles in Pau, as part of the afternoon programme accompanying the exhibition Derrière le voile, entends le cri des étoiles. From 3.45 pm to 5.30 pm.

The exhibition

Alexandra Sarragot lives in Cescau, where her studio is housed in the former school, and she founded the association ‘Au cœur d’un regard’. Over the course of a year, she met, listened to and then photographed fourteen women who had been victims of violence. These are intimate portraits, to which each woman was able to add her own testimony: the images are there to give voice to their stories.

“It’s very difficult to find women who are willing to talk about it,” she told Sud Ouest at the time she was looking for her subjects. “This silence speaks volumes. It speaks of the shame that is always on our side.” They pose standing up, bathed in warm light. One had stipulated that she be photographed from behind; three months later, on the day of the shoot, she wanted to show her face. “I want to transform pain into gentleness,” the photographer explains. Photographs of flowers punctuate the exhibition, like moments of respite.

The project grew out of her own personal journey, which she has spoken about publicly: a victim of rape as a child, she says she found in photography a way to rebuild her life. She presents this work as “an act of resistance”, her gift to herself for her fiftieth birthday. It was through her contact with the association ‘Du côté des femmes’ in Pau that the exhibition was scheduled to coincide with 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The exhibition is on display at Les Halles de Pau from 20 to 30 November, with free admission. The municipality of Cescau, which is supporting the project, has already announced that it will be shown in the village next spring.

Her work is featured in Sud Ouest, and far better than we could ever describe it ourselves.

The day of 28 November

The afternoon begins with a poetic dance performance based on the exhibition, rather than a private viewing: the choreography is by Giorgia Pirozzi, with text by Pauline Roudet. We then perform, accompanied by Nathalie Biarnés on the piano. The day concludes with a torchlight procession.

Practical details

Saturday 28 November 2026, from 3.45 pm to 5.30 pm. Terrasse des Halles, Pau. Free admission. The exhibition itself runs from 20 to 30 November.

Photos on the poster: Au cœur d’un regard photographies.