This Autumn, Palais de Tokyo will be radically transformed by Philippe Parreno, one of the most original figures of the international art world. Parreno responded to the carte blanche invitation with an exhibition where the architectural modification of the space becomes a work in itself, “a total work of art”.
Philippe Parreno rose to prominence in the 1990’s, earning critical acclaim for his work which employs a diversity of media including film, sculpture, performance, drawing and text. Taking the exhibition as a medium, Parreno has redefined the exhibition experience by exploring its possibilities as a coherent ‘object’.
He has conceived the show at the Palais de Tokyo as a scripted space where the visitor will be guided through the galleries by the orchestration of sound, image and performance. The works will be presented as a mise-en-scène where a series of events rythmically unfold.
The exhibition will offer a journey of his works, old and new, as well as those of others, turning the monography into a polyphony. Parreno will manipulate symbols, words and sounds to achieve changes in perception allowing the building itself to become a living organism, constantly changing. His interventions will include permanent changes to the architecture of the building altering preconceived notions of the space itself.
Palais de Tokyo is one of the few existing spaces in which an experience of such epic proportions can be attempted. Philippe Parreno will be the first artist to take over the entire extended space of Palais de Tokyo.
Philippe Parreno (b. 1964) lives and works in Paris.
