Got two hours to spare in Paris? Who truly does during FIAC? Nonetheless, if you’re feeling ambitious, why not take our two-hour challenge.
Begin your journey at the spectacular Fondation d’enterprise Ricard. The foundation are currently exhibiting works from the shortlist of their 18th annual prize, an accolade reserved for artists under 40 that the visiting curator feels are particularly representative of the French art scene. This year’s line-up includes Anne Imhof, Will Benedict and Louise Sartor. Melanie Matranga’s Fortune Light (2016) is a highlight, its swollen form aglow behind an enormous Frankenstein-like paper lampshade. The works — a mix of video, sculpture and wall-hung — play well with the roomy gallery space and vary from the large-scale to the minuscule. On the smaller end (around 15cm high) are Sartor’s gouache works on paper that are so innocuous compared to the size of the other works that they’re almost hidden, but once found, reveal perfectly formed portraits of twenty-something figures in trendy sports clothing brands like GoodHood. Fondation de’enterprise Ricard is also a media partner of satellite fair Paris Internationale, giving a series of curated talks over the week. So if you skip our first suggestion, catch curator Antonia Scintilla at Avenue D’Iéna at 6pm each day instead.
Next, nurture your inner tourist and hail a cab around the corner to Jeu de Paume, where Basim Magdy’s No Shooting Stars may bring on an unavoidable sense of melancholy. Revel in said melancholy—it’s a terrific show and the darkened viewing room downstairs offers the perfect solace from the art whirlwind outside. Visually luscious and accompanied by poetic (often humorous) subtitles, Magdy’s film explores the ocean, its creatures, the surrounding human activity and the inherent links that this vast and often unknown mass has with the human mind. Upstairs, small-scale images continue the mood, with close-ups of mystical-looking beasts, vast landscapes and many, many light leaks.
Hop on the Metro at Concorde and take a swift journey across to Rambuteau for le Marais. Make Marian Goodman your first stop, and be sure to make a fuss while attempting to remember how Parisian doors work on the way in (always buzz, don’t trip on the step). This week is the final chance to catch Giuseppe Penone’s Ebbi, Avrò, Non Ho (J’eus, J’aurai, Je n’ai), which ends this Saturday. The works in the exhibition take their form from specific gestures made by the artist’s hand, reflecting his belief that ‘tactile perception brings us closer to the present’. There is a tension between calm and ferocity here, the soft colours and occasional metallics of the works giving a tranquil feel which echoes the energy of the vast building, while the suggested action feels controlling and rigid.
Walk with the help of Google Maps to the nearby Galerie Art Concept, where the pared-back tones continue, accompanied by a singular pulse of pink light in the silkscreened canvases of Jacob Kassay in (You). His works of varying sizes sit both in huddles and alone on clean white walls. Greys, peaches and white are speckled on the canvas, appearing as though sandy in surface from afar (some look distinctly like galaxies), and their individual dots and marks coming into full focus on closer inspection.
Your final stop along rue de Temple is at Galerie Max Hetzler where you’ll end the trip on an upbeat note, enjoying the bright tones of Beatriz Milhazes. Marilola is the Brazilian artist’s fourth solo show with the gallery, and contains a selection of paintings, collages and prints alongside a playful hanging curtain of vibrant beads, flowers and perspex disks. The sheer joy in this room should keep you going until tomorrow, at least.
