In this comprehensive survey, Lucy McKenzie explores the friction between high culture and the commercial veneer of everyday life. Born in Glasgow and rooted in the traditions of decorative painting, McKenzie uses her meticulous technique to question how power and gender are staged within public architecture and retail displays. Her work bridges the gap between the 19th-century panorama and the modern shop window, revealing the mechanisms of mass entertainment.

You're watching a landscape of monumental murals and sculptural forms that mimic the artifice of a department store. The light of Sète filters into the industrial galleries, catching the edges of posters and tailored silhouettes that feel both nostalgic and sharply critical. You move through a space where craftsmanship is a weapon, and the line between a gallery and a luxury boutique dissolves into a quiet, intellectual unease.

• Genre-bending installations: The exhibition unites five years of research into how statuary and fashion define our visual environment.
• Industrial intimacy: Seeing McKenzie's intricate murals within the former fish warehouse of the Crac offers a unique contrast between grit and refinement.
• A Mediterranean dialogue: The show places McKenzie's Scottish sensibilities in conversation with the vibrant, sun-drenched spectacle of a French port city.

Begin by circling the larger murals to appreciate the technical skill behind their deceptive surfaces before narrowing in on the sculptural details. The Crac’s position along the canal means the maritime light is constantly shifting the mood of the installations. After leaving the museum, walk along the Quai Aspirant Herber to the local markets; McKenzie’s focus on the theater of the shop window will make the everyday commerce of Sète feel like a continuation of the exhibition.