In her work, Sara often focuses on the unique sub-cultures developed by diasporas, particularly in her homeland of France. Born from a sense of displacement and altering behaviours to better assimilate into a new culture, fashion, music and language become symbols that connect individuals and create new collective identities and belonging.
FACT, Sara Sadik presents XENON PALACE CHAMPIONSHIP, 2023 (Accessed, 10/04/2025: https://www.fact.co.uk/event/sara-sadik)
In XENON PALACE CHAMPIONSHIP (2023), Sara Sadik creates a hybrid world between video game, film, and social reality. The film follows a group of young men competing in a futuristic shisha lounge for access to an imaginary place called Xenon Palace – a refuge far removed from reality. The central protagonist, Émile-Samory, is not only fighting within the game but also struggling with questions of belonging, masculinity, and inner emptiness. Sadik intertwines themes such as cultural alienation, loneliness, and solidarity with symbols of urban youth culture – including rap, fashion, and shisha – and translates them into an immersive, almost dreamlike narrative.
The installation consists of a pink, glowing room with padded walls, shisha controllers, inflatable seats, and a video projection combining live-action and animation. Visitors are invited to become part of the game themselves – in a world that oscillates between escapism and the search for community.