If you’re in Paris this week for the couture shows, make sure to set aside to some time to see these museum and gallery exhibitions open this month.
Carole Benzaken: Là-Bas… Toi
Galerie Nathalie Obadia
Now—February 23
Filling both Galerie Nathalie Obadia locations, Carole Benzaken’s solo exhibition “Là-bas… Toi” displays the way the artist’s work is methodically homogenous and polysemous, provoking feelings of satiation and unquenchable visual multiplicity. In the Cloître Saint-Merry space, the series “Au réveil, il était midi*” creates perceptual confusion, as viewers will feel like they can almost make out traditional landscapes amid the brushes of white paint. And in the Bourg-Tibourg gallery, the eight identically formatted “Greffes” paintings present chromatic variations in colors like pink and acid green, where the true subjects are completely hidden underneath layers of paint.
Artur Lescher: Asterismos
Almine Rech Gallery
Now—February 23
Artur Lescher’s first show at the Parisian gallery is named for the term “asterisms,” meaning noticeable shapes made by stars that are visible from Earth, other than constellations. Arranged across Almine Rech’s three rooms, each work is part of a constellation of the artist’s interpretation, inviting viewers to take part in an astral voyage exploring how stars converse, attract, and repel one another. On view is Virgo, Ponteio, and an aluminum and green multifilament construction suspended from the ceiling and reaching down to the floor titled Sextante.
Jitish Kallat: Phase Transition
Galerie Templon
Now—March 9
Jitish Kallat’s “Phase Transition” presents the artist’s newest “Palindrome/Anagram” paintings and “Untitled (Emergence)” drawings based on his exploration of time, transience, sustenance, and the cosmological. Kallat has arranged seating in the gallery into the two hands of the Doomsday Clock—a conceptual clock that has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board. Its “two minutes to midnight” setting is an opportunity to experience a fresh perspective of the works on view. In the gallery’s basement, the roots of Kallat’s latest works are uncovered with a display of drawings, a photographic worked, and the sculpture Covariance (Sacred Geometry).
Oliver Beer: Household Gods
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
Now—February 16
Oliver Beer’s “Household Gods” features a display of interacting sound installations and sculptural works, demonstrating the innate musicality of the physical world. In an all-white room, “Household Gods” are seen as physical objects residing on pedestals, idolized to the point where they gain the ability to sing. Using microphones placed around the space, the songs of the household divinities echo and ricochet, creating feedback loops that allow visitors to experience the innate sound of each object.
Mr.’s Melancholy Walk Around the Town
Perrotin Gallery
Now—March 9
In Mr.’s exhibition, “Melancholy Walk Around the Town,” the city of Tokyo comes alive as a bittersweet place engulfing all in its path. Even with its ceaseless stimuli, it is a place of alienation—something which the artist shares through the haunting eyes of his delightfully bright characters. Informed by the otaku culture and the Kawaii scene prominent in Tokyo, the artist’s latest works present a look at both sides of this world: the colorful exterior of the city, and the dark, shadowed thoughts of his inner domain.
“Japon-Japonismes. Objets Inspirés, 1867—2018”
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Now—March 3
“Japon-Japonismes. Objets Inspirés, 1867—2018” at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD) includes around 1,400 photographs, graphic arts, fashion items, and design objects. Stretching across three levels of MAD’s Rohan wing, the exhibition features a scenography design by Sou Fujimoto, dividing the show into five themes: nature, time, movement, innovation, and the actors of the discovery. On view are pieces like a mother-of-pearl, iris, and tortoise shell comb from the 19th century, designs from Yohji Yamamoto’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection, and Machi Shunso’s 1981 work The White Clouds Sail Endlessly.
