OntheoccasionofMartineSyms''exhibition,thiscatalogentitledTotalretracestheartisticpracticeofMartineSymssince2005,immersingreadersinatotalworkofartthatlooksatthe"theateroftheeveryday",therolesweplayinit,andthesurveillancemechanismsthatcontrolthem.Theartist''sworkbridgesthegapbetweenthepublicandtheprivate,theseenandtheunseen,theinsideandtheoutside.Betweenintimatereferences,historicalarchives,culturalrepresentationsofBlackness,feministhistoryandinvocationsofspirituality,Totalpresentsitselfasaworkinwhichthemechanismsofidentityconstructionareplayedoutandreflected.AuthorClaudiaRankinewritesanacademicessayanalyzingMartineSyms''bodyofwork.ArtistandpoetHannahBlackcomposesanexperimentaltextbasedonastrologicalreferencestoSyms''personality.Finally,exhibitioncuratoranddirectoroftheLafayetteFoundationRebeccaLamarcheisinconversationwiththeguestartist.