Looking for a cultural break? From the Marais to La Villette through Belleville and Charonne, we’ll be your guide for this month’s selection of art exhibits!

 

 

– Version française –

 

 

Tom Arndt – American Reflections
Ernst Haas – The American West

Until January 21st

“After Home in 2014, Les Douches la Galerie dedicates a new solo exhibition to the work of Tom Arndt. Alongside the publication of the book American Reflections by the Atelier EXB, the exhibition brings together twenty-six photographs taken from 1970 to the present day, and printed by the artist. Together, they reveal the poetry of simple things in urban, suburban and rural America. / On the occasion of the publication of the book The American West, Les Douches la Galerie is pleased to present its fourth solo exhibition of Ernst Haas. Taken between 1952 and 1981, the thirty-two photographs presented here reflect his sensitive explorations of the Western landscapes and the broad technical palette that characterizes his work.”

Wednesday to Saturday: 2pm-7pm – Free admission

Les Douches La Galerie
5 rue Legouvé, 75010 Paris
www.lesdoucheslagalerie.com

 

 

François-Xavier Bouchart – Belleville, années 70

Until January 15th

“François-Xavier Bouchart produced a photographic work about Belleville in the 1970s, many of whose buildings were then being destroyed. His personal view of this neighborhood complements those of Doisneau and Willy Ronis. Through photography, he brings his own vision of places, spaces, and interactions between the inhabitants of the neighborhood. He tells the story of its profound transformation at the time, the daily life of those who live there despite the destruction. Through his urban strolls and photographs, he continues the inventory made by Georges Perec in his documentary En remontant la Rue Vilin.”

Outdoors – Free exhibit

Murs du Pavillon Carré de Baudouin
Rue des Pyrénées & Rue de Ménilmontant, 75020 Paris
mairie20.paris.fr

 

 

Sanne De Wilde & Bénédicte Kurzen – Land of Ibeji

Until January 7th

“In Land of Ibeji, photographers Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen investigate the mythology of twins in Nigeria, where the rate of natural twin births is higher than anywhere else in the world. As sacred beings, the magical and spiritual powers of twins are celebrated with mythical fervor, but also condemned as unnatural. “Ibeji”, which means “double birth” and “the two inseparable” in Yoruba, represents the ultimate harmony between two people. Embracing this concept, the photographers have created intensely colorful portraits of twins. They play with the concept of doubling to create an imaginative photographic story, using double exposures, mirror reflections, and color filters.”

Wednesday to Friday: 2pm-7pm – Saturday: 11:30am-6pm – Free admission

Fisheye Gallery
2 rue de l’hôpital Saint-Louis, 75010 Paris
www.fisheyegallery.fr

 

 

Jacqueline Duhême – Il était une fois…

Félicité Landrivon & Roxanne Maillet – Freed from Designer

Until January 1st / Until December 18th

In Nogent-sur-Marne, near Bois de Vincennes, the MABA and the Maison Nationale des Artistes present a striking double exhibition until the end of the year. Freed From Designer brings together the graphic worlds of young designers Félicité Landrivon (also signing under Brigade Cynophile) and Roxanne Maillet. Everyday items, furniture, t-shirts, posters: in a venue redesigned like a real apartment, the duo gives free rein to its creativity and leads the visitor into a space where design, shapes, and colors combine to deliver a message of feminist emancipation. Once upon a time… Jacqueline Duhême, l’imagière honors a prolific artist who has particularly distinguished herself in the field of children’s literature, and was also one of the pioneers of documentary drawing starting from the 1960s. The exhibit is an opportunity to discover the rich and poetic life and career of an artist for whom “drawing is a necessity, like offering a gift to someone you love”. — Our article (French)

Monday to Friday (Thursdays excepted): 1pm-6pm – Saturday & Sunday: 12pm-6pm – Free admission

MABA – Fondation des Artistes
16 rue Charles VII, 94130 Nogent-sur-Marne
www.fondationdesartistes.fr

 

 

Jean Mallard – L’heure bleue

Until January 24th

“The Slow Galerie presents the solo exhibition L’heure bleue by Jean Mallard, a rising figure in French illustration. The exhibition brings together thirty previously unpublished watercolors, all created between 2021 and 2022, mainly large formats, which took more than a year to complete. Inspired by a trip to Sicily, it is both a celebration of the passing of time and a quest for a lost paradise. Each drawing is a visual “safe place”, a mental refuge. He signs this exhibition as the imprint of a generation striving for wellness, to give a little thickness to time, to life, in a world in perpetual acceleration.”

Monday to Saturday: 11am-7pm – Free admission

Slow Galerie
5 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris
www.slowgalerie.com

 

 

Boris Mikhaïlov – Ukrainian diary

Until January 15th

Going through the fifty years of stories told in the Ukrainian diary of photographer Boris Mikhailov, visitors realize how different its pages can be from one another. First, one discovers a personality both ingenious and eccentric, eager for artistic experimentation: the works of his series Yesterday’s Sandwich follow one another to the timeless melodies of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, a montage composed during the golden age of psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s in order to generate “a new and metaphorical image”. For this exhibition, the MEP has brought together some twenty series of varied inspirations and themes, with a total of nearly 800 photographs presented on the floors of the institution in the heart of the Marais. Regularly subject to KGB visits during the Soviet era, Boris Mikhailov developed a personal aesthetic approach, sometimes described as “bad photography”, in order to escape the regime’s censorship. The photographer deployed a wealth of ingenuity to assume his alternately whimsical and disturbing gaze despite the political hazards and the imposition of an official imagery that was theoretically unavoidable. — Our article (French)

Wednesday to Friday: 11am-8pm (until 10pm on Thursdays) – Saturday & Sunday: 10am-8pm – €11/€7

Maison européenne de la photographie
5/7 Rue de Fourcy, 75004 Paris
www.mep-fr.org

 

 

Insurgé.e.s ! Regards sur celles et ceux de la Commune de 1871

December 9th to March 6th

“The exhibition Insurgé.es ! intends to showcase new historical approaches to the Paris Commune of 1871. Based on remarkable works and documents, both previously known or never displayed before, it presents the events and the memories transmitted from the perspective of men, women and children – whether famous or lesser known, identified or anonymous, from individuals or collectives. More than thirty personalities from many disciplines are invited to share their views on this historical episode, adressing its contemporary resonances.”

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10am-5h30pm – Thursday: 10am-8pm – Saturday & Sunday: 2pm-6:30pm – €5/€3

Musée d’art et d’histoire Paul Éluard
22 bis rue Gabriel Péri, 93200 Saint-Denis
musee-saint-denis.com

 

 

Lumières !

December 15th to January 1st

“For its second year running, Lumières! invites French and international artists to take over the Parc de la Villette to let young and old alike (re)discover one of the largest green spaces in Paris – for free. Stroll from work to work – some of which were created specifically for La Villette – and discover artistic universes that combine visual illusion, hypnotic and playful installations, interactive experiences, and immersive artworks that will take you on a wonderful nocturnal journey.”

Tuesday to Sunday: 5pm-11pm – Free admission (Outdoors)

Parc de la Villette
75019 Paris
lavillette.com

 

 

Open Air Gallery at Place de la Réunion

Saturday, December 10th

The Place de la Réunion will take on a festive air on Saturday, December 10th, to welcome the new open-air art market organized by the Ateliers du Père Lachaise Associés. For this first winter edition of its “Open Gallery”, the association will bring together thirty visual artists from the 20th arrondissement to “offer exchanges with the artists, present works in an unusual setting, and highlight the artistic approach or technique”, specifies the collective that has been implanted in the neighborhood for 34 years, since then joined by members of the Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville and of Artistes de Ménilmontant, two other local associations that are also recognized for their annual open studios. “A special ‘small format’ gallery, 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters, will also be featured ahead of the holidays”. — Our article (French)

Saturday, December 10th: 11am-6pm – Free admission

Place de la Réunion
75020 Paris
www.apla.fr

 

 

Les Ateliers du Père Lachaise Associés – Open Studios 2022

December 3rd & 4th

“On December 3rd and 4th, doors will open on the works by artists of the Ateliers du Père Lachaise Associés. 21 artists will open their workshops in a perimeter located between Rue du Repos, Rue de Bagnolet, Boulevard de Charonne, and the adjacent streets. The strength of the Open Studios is to show the diversity of creation in the neighborhood: painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, etc. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover many techniques and sources of inspiration, which artists will be happy to discuss.”

December, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th: 2pm-8pm – Free admission

Quartier du Père Lachaise
75020 Paris
www.apla.fr

 

 

Les Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville – Little Big Art 2022

December 8th-18th

“Eleven artists from Belleville offer a selection of small format works covering multiple styles and techniques: pastels, inks, monotypes, paintings (acrylic, oil, resin), drawings, collages, prints, and sculptures. It’s a chance to find many original gift ideas, or something to treat yourself to at ‘little’ prices for the holidays! The exhibition will bring together artists Joyce B., Geneviève Baudouin, Alain Cabot, Josiane Chabel, Guillaume Confais, Quentin Duroux, Marie Fanget, Olivier Furter, Francesco Romano, Mirella Rosner, and Ly-Rose.”

Thursday to Sunday: 2pm-7pm – Free admission

Galerie des Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville
1 rue Francis Picabia, 75020 Paris
ateliers-artistes-belleville.fr

 

 

Les Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville – Natures partagées

Until December 18th

“The need for nature remains in cities, and this feeling has been reinforced since the first lockdown. The vision of our immediate environment, then the only one accessible, has suddenly been transformed. The parks and gardens we longed for in March and April 2020 have now become the subjects of a new reflection. These “embassies of nature in the cities” are places of life and sharing, non-market spaces, open to gatherings as well as to isolation, rest, contemplation, effort, games… Throughout this exhibit, the artists of Belleville share their singular visions on these remarkable islands of biodiversity. This project highlights 17 artworks representing the diversity of visual arts today, with Jean-Christophe Adenis, Claire Archenault, Annie Barel, Geneviève Baudoin, Angela Bonavita, Caroline Bouyer, Pierre-Olivier Clerc, Delphine Epron, Frédéric Laviéville, Laetitia Lesaffre, Kristin Meller, Lumi Mizutani, Catherine Olivier, Gert Sachs, Saint-Oma, Mireille Saltron, and Denis Viougeas.”

Outdoors – Free admission

Parc de Belleville
Outside the parc by Rue des Couronnes, 75020 Paris
ateliers-artistes-belleville.fr

 

 

Résistance des fluides

December 4th-23rd

“Air de Paris is happy to end the year 2022 with a bang with the inauguration of the Résistances des fluides cycle, which will continue in 2023 at Marcelle Alix and Sultana. At the entrance, a curiosity, a vintage photographic print (1925) by Charles Carmichel, a mathematician friend of Paul Painlevé who studied fluid mechanics. In the light room, recent or unpublished works by Aurélien Potier, Nanténé Traoré, Damien Rouxel, Hélène Alix Sanyas (Mourrier), Alireza Shojaian, Victorien Soufflet, and etaïnn zwer. In the dark room, the gallery presents a program that alternates new musical vignettes by Zoe Heselton along with two recent films by Valentin Noujaïm. The opening will feature readings by Nanténé Traoré and etaïnn zwer, and songs by Zoe Heselton. The exhibition Résistance des fluides brings together the artists of the Utopi.e Prize, the first LGBTQIA+ prize in art, launched in 2021 by Agathe Pinet and Myriama Idir.”

Wednesday to Saturday: 12pm-6pm – Free admission

Air de Paris
43 rue de la Commune de Paris, 93230 Romainville
www.airdeparis.com

 

 

Revoir la nuit

Until December 17th

“Revoir la nuit (To see the Night again) is both a wish and an injunction. The exhibition is conceived as a nocturnal crossing where seven artists show what the day hides from us. The journey translates a sensitive approach through the exploration of personal experiences and stories, echoing our collective history. Curated by Océane Arnaud, the exhibition brings together Maéva Prigent, Nour Awada, Giancarlo Pirelli, Clément Salzedo, Anne Bravy, Lisa Ouakil, and Mélanie Feuvrier.”

Wednesday to Friday: 2pm-6pm (until 9pm on Thursdays) – Saturday: 2pm-7pm – Free admission

Centre Tignous d’art contemporain
116 rue de Paris, 93100 Montreuil
centretignousdartcontemporain.fr

 

 

Cinétique ! La sculpture en mouvement

Until December 11th

“To celebrate its fifth year of opening to the public, Espace Monte-Cristo, the Parisian venue of the Villa Datris Foundation, presents Cinétique! Sculpture in Motion. The exhibition reveals the heart of its collection, bringing together more than 35 sculptures by French and international artists. Combining historical and scientific references, the exhibition brings together kinetic sculptures from the 1960s alongside more recent ones, sometimes displaying cutting-edge technologies. Whether static, dynamic, or mechanical, the featured artworks allow us to discover movement in all its forms.”

Wednesday to Sunday: 11am-1pm & 2pm-6:30pm – Free admission

Fondation Villa Datris – Espace Monte-Cristo
9 rue Monte Cristo, 75020 Paris
fondationvilladatris.fr

 

 

Parisiennes citoyennes ! (1789-2000)

Until January 29th

It is a history made of revolts, pamphlets, strikes, indignations, petitions, demonstrations. That of the countless battles waged by the women of Paris to free themselves from the shackles imposed by the religious, moral, capitalist, and patriarchal orders. Conceived by a quartet comprising the director of the Carnavalet Museum Valérie Guillaume, the professor of contemporary history Christine Bard, and the curators Catherine Tambrun and Juliette Tanré-Szewczyk, Parisiennes citoyennes! brings together nearly 170 works and documents, some of which have never been shown before, in order to retrace this other revolution still taking place in the capital to this day. […] — Our article (French)

Tuesday to Sunday: 10am-6pm – €11/€9/€0 – Free admission to the rest of the museum

Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris
23 rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris
www.carnavalet.paris.fr

 

 

Foire Foraine d’Art Contemporain

Until January 29th

“This contemporary art fair is not only an exhibition, it is a whirlwind of attraction-artworks, with strong sensations and ephemeral pleasures, between giddiness and cotton candy, ghost train and games of skill, ice palace and cabinets of curiosities, psychedelic trips and slot machines… Imagined with forty artists from all over the world, the fair transports you to a land of wonders, but also of horrors. An artistic journey where you can play and be frightened, where art has fun and plays with you. A visual, sound, olfactory, and gustatory feast, in which you play the main role, which invites you to let go, to hypnosis, to dizziness. Hang on tight!”

Wednesday to Sunday: 2pm-7pm (reservations required) – €15/€12/€10/€8/€0

Centquatre
5 rue Curial, 75019 Paris
www.104.fr

 

 

 

Illustration (cropped):
From the series Yesterday’s Sandwich, 1966-68. Chromogenic print, 30 x 45 cm
© Boris Mikhaïlov, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Courtesy Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève, Paris.