Paris · 20/10/2026
Philippe Parreno
Esther Schipper presents a selection of works by Philippe Parreno at its Paris gallery on Place Vendôme, coinciding with Art Basel Paris. For this presentation the gallery takes on the appearance of a domestic interior. The works inhabit an apartment-like setting in which architecture, objects and natural light become part of a choreography that unfolds over time. Two motorised blinds, each following its own sequence scripted by Parreno, move independently across the windows. Alternately veiling and revealing the openings, like a pair of eyes opening and closing, they modulate the light in the room – and with it the appearance of everything it contains. These shifting conditions activate Chronochromes (2026), a wallpaper in which a palm motif repeats across a phosphorescent surface. Exposed to light, the material stores energy; as the room darkens, the image begins to glow before slowly fading back into darkness. Alongside it, Happy Ending (2014–ongoing) and Moving Lamps (2024–ongoing) extend Parreno’s exploration of duration, light and the autonomous behaviour of objects. Animated by flickering light, the lamps take on an almost automaton-like quality, suggesting a ghostly presence. Reappearing here in new configurations, they continue a process of transformation in which objects retain traces of their earlier incarnations. A new work, Marquee (2026), takes the form of a bas-relief that creates an illusion of perspective. Its lights pulse according to predetermined sequences, introducing yet another rhythm into the gallery. Together, the works turn the apartment into a changing environment in which light, time and the movements of seemingly ordinary objects continually alter the perception of the space. Far from being a neutral setting, the domestic interior becomes an active participant in the unfolding of the works. The presentation coincides with other major moments in Parreno’s programme: the world premiere of his film Riverrun at the 21st Rome Film Festival on 24 October 2026, and Philippe Parreno: 5 Moons at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, from 21 November 2026 to 26 April 2027. Parreno studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Grenoble and at the Institut des hautes études en arts plastiques at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He lives and works in Paris.
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