Photo: Marc Domage
This landmark show curated by the organisers themselves gathers the most exciting sculptures and installations, creme de la creme of the contemporary scene. The show will take place in the interiors of the Petit Palais and on the broad Wilson avenue, which for this occasion will be reserved for pedestrians only, thus reconstructing the look of the street in the 1900, when the World Fair took place there. This symbolic opening of the esplanade yields a unique, vivid platform to exhibit artworks in the urban context. Nearly 30 pieces will be featured in the show, starring such artists as Laure Prouvost, Lee Ufan, Gaetano Pesce, Johan Creten and many others (look out for Alicja Kwade’s piece!).
Street Painting #10, LANG & BAUMANN, 2018. Loevenbruck, Paris.
© Marc Domage
Jardin des Tuileries
As a part of Fiac Hors les Murs and in cooperation with the Louvre Museum, nearly twenty artworks will occupy every corners of the famous garden of Tuileries. In this classically conceived open space, governed by the logic of symmetry, the invited artists will take on the question of public monuments, volume and form. The environment is by no means excusing, as its strict geometry, iconic dimension, and manifold perspectives it opens, demand charisma and ingenuity from artists who dare to challenge it. With contributions from such legendary sculptors as César, Calder or Jenny Holzer, coupled with works by emerging artists, this project is certainly not to be missed!
Photo: Marc Domage
Place de la Concorde
For the second time ever, Place de la Concorde will host a nomadic village, brought to life by few of the most cutting-edge architectural artists. The interventions they made in the colossal square are ephemeral and utopic, which stands at odds with the capital’s busy life, of which Place de la Concorde is the symbolic centre. Transparent, poetic shelters, open structures, invisible dwellings and prefabricated housing from the postwar period will trouble equally the Fiac visitors and usual pedestrians,encouraging them to question both architecture itself and the very site they’re at. As quite a few artists enter a dialogue with the emblematic architecture surrounding the square through integrating structures and mirrors, the beholders are forced to see the iconic Concorde in a literally different light. This fleeting, site-specific experience will be available the whole duration of the fair.
Photo: Marc Domage
For its 4th edition, Parades for Fiac, the festival of performative arts attached to the fair will materialise itself in many prestigious locations, such as the Louvre, Palais de la Découverte, Petit Palais, Orangerie, Centre Pompidou and the Museum Orsay. Its programme stretches across disciplines, covering music, dance, performance, theatre and poetry. Aiming to promote experimentation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, Parades for Fiac offers one or more spectacle a day, which results in an array of thrilling projects to see during the fair. The absolute must-sees include a recent cooperation between the legendary rock artist Kim Gordon and the dancer Dimitri Chamblas, a piece by Rachid Ouramdane “À côté du réel”, and a brand new performance from the duo Luigia Riva and Clay Apenouvon, “Intransito”.
The very name suggest the essential trait of this series of events – the blend of cinema and éphémère indicates the transitoriness of this part of Fiac Hors les Murs. The curator of this section, Thomas Boutoux, chose around 30 films and video art pieces to screen between 16 and 20 October, all of which touch upon the problem of environmental awareness, climate change and human alteration in ecosystems. The programme, while encouraging to explore the artistic strategies of taking action on this great threat of our age, it also presents a survey of both historic and contemporary artistic contributions regarding this theme. The nomadic cinema will move between various locations, all of them of significant cultural and historical connotations. Free entry.
Crédits Photo: Marc Domage
Solo & Duo Shows
Admittedly, the reason everyone visits Fiac is the fair itself. In this year edition, we recommend a couple of shows which grabbed our attention with their exceptional pieces.
- Soft Opening x Gina Fischli: Soft Opening is a gallery that shook the London scene when it first opened a window gallery at the Piccadilly Circus underground station. Since then, the gallery has distinguished itself with a unique taste and cooperation with many young, innovative artists. For Fiac, they prepared a show of Gina Fischli, a fresh graduate of Royal Academy of Arts, whose playful sculptures, drawings loaded with glitter, and use of everyday objects question the ease with which we inhabit our interiors and selves.
- Imane Farès x Emeka Ogboh: Ogboh has certainly dominated this year’s edition, featuring in the Fiac Projects, Parades for Fiac as well as in the fair itself. This young French artist, exploring the black French identities and often collaborating with local communities, is widely known for his twofold artistic practice, encompassing sound and gastronomy. His works transform historical, collective, but also intimate experiences into the unique language of sound, taste and affect.
- Elsa Sahal x Erik Dietman at Galerie Papillon: Sahal’s oeuvre could be described as a family, not only because the artist nourishes a very personal relationship with each piece but also because they pertain to the same sculptural taxonomic group: one evolving from another. They organic shapes further encourage bodily associations, often heavily charged with eroticism. The artist, who has already dazzled the Parisian art scene, will be juxtaposed with Erik Dietman, a deceased Swedish sculptor, painter and draftsman, whose art oscillated around poetry, aiming to give a material existence to its fleeting nature. This artistic encounter will certainly bestow new intensities to the pieces of both artists.
- Barbara Kapusta & Zsofia Keresztes at Gianni Manhattan: The viennese gallery does not represent many artists, which skyrockets the quality of each one they do represent. Opened in 2017, the gallery galvanised the gallery scene of Vienna with its critical approach to exhibitions and a community-centered modus operandi. For Fiac, they contrast the bodily informed oeuvre of Barbara Kapusta with sculptural meditations on virtual reality by Zsofia Keresztes. Since both artists continually attract attention of major art magazines, such as Artforum or Artnet, this show certainly will be a great occasion not only to see their works but also to see their pieces in dialogue.
Photo: Mirco Magliocca
