As of January 1, 2022, Paris had a population of 2,113,705, making it the densest European city. Within the Greater Paris Metropolis, with a population of over 7 million, population growth is primarily maintained by the territories located in Seine-Saint-Denis. The Île-de-France region has a total population of over 12 million. The number of people coming to work, study, or visit the capital each year is estimated at 3.7 million.

In light of these figures, the exhibition aims to give body to these individuals, who cross paths without necessarily noticing or identifying each other. In 2020 and 2021, the periods of confinement have increased the distances between individuals. As image rights are more and more respected, it becomes increasingly difficult to photograph close-up of faces, as was common in the 1980s. Artists are inventing other ways to capture faces: with hidden cameras, by creating surprise, by moving street portraits into studios or even at home.

Artists: Iván Argote (Bogotá, Colombie, 1983); Sergio Birga (Florence, 1940 - Cannes, 2021); Stefan Cornic (Cannes, 1987); Gérard Dalla Santa (Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, 1947); Erik Desmazières (Rabat, Maroc, 1948); Éric Dubuc (Paris, 1961- Bois-le-Roi, 1986); Cyril Duret (Nancy, 1993); Arthur Gerbault (Aubervilliers, 1956); Bilal Hamdad (Sidi Bel Abbes, Algérie, 1987); William Klein (New-York, États-Unis, 1926 – Paris, 2022); Kanako Kuno (Tokyo, Japon, 1975); Dolorès Marat (Paris, 1944); Krzysztof Pruszkowski (Kazimierz Dolny, Pologne, 1943); Paola Salerno (Catanzaro, Italie, 1960); Leïla Slimani (Rabat, Maroc, 1981); Sergio Telles (Rio de Janeiro, 1936 - São Paulo, 2022).

(This exhibition is part of the permanent collections, which are accessible free of charge and without reservation)