nº77 / MAPPLETHORPE / THADDAEUS ROPAC / PARIS
What could be more intriguing than a fabulous threesome in Paris with MAPPLETHORPE, ENNINFUL and ROPAC? Review by Zoltan Alexander
top of page
THE
INSTIGATOR
Art & Culture magazine
NEWS
ART FAIRS
2026
WORLDWIDE
A unique list of over 60+ selected art fairs around the world throughout 2026
PHOTO / Youssef Nabil / Photo © Courtesy of Youssef Nabil and Musée d'Orsay
YOUSSEF NABIL
MUSÉE D'ORSAY
PARIS
TO KEEP DREAMING
DE RÉVER ENCORE
Franco-Egyptian photographer Youssef Nabil dreams on at the Musée d’Orsay this month. His first visit to France in 1992 remains a source of inspiration.
He is the first contemporary artist to occupy the Orientalist galleries at the Musée d'Orsay. With De Réver Encore he is placing his works in perspective along with symbolism, and the core of his aesthetics. The themes of exile, rebirth, and dreams are omnipresent in his work.
The black & white silver gelatin prints, enhanced by Youssef Nabil using an ancient hand-colouring technique, evoke the glorious and idealised Egypt of his childhood.
"De Réver Encore"
Youssef Nabil
Musée d'Orsay
19 May - 13 September 2026
PHOTO / Clément Grimm / Photo © Courtesy of Ronan Debosque
CLÉMENT GRIMM
L'ÉCOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS
PARIS
TALES OF GRIMM
In the chapel of the Petits-Augustins of the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Clément Grimm presents an installation that blurs the lines between sculpture, sound and performance, fiction and materiality, visible and invisible, constructing spaces where memory, architecture and narrative meet.
The artist pierces the piano with an immense white needle, a pointed tip that traverses the structure.
This minimalist form seems to generate a paradoxical tension between gravity and poetry, just like La Nona Ora of Maurizio Cattelan, The Pope struck down by a Meteorite. Except Grimm’s installation is a much more promising contemporary structure.
His piano is not just a piano; it plays music on its own, as if inhabited by an invisible presence. Grimm’s music, composed with Antoine Poudret, was inspired by French Nouvelle Vague psychological drama, Last Year at Marienbad (1961) by Alain Resnais.
With this installation, Clément Grimm reveals himself as a promising contemporary artist, creating a striking link between music and a conceptual sculpture.
A full-length article will be published shortly.
Clément Grimm
L'École des Beaux-Arts de Paris
June 2026 - 3 days only
PHOTO / Reiffers Art Initiatives / Photo © Courtesy of Zoltan Alexander
REIFFERS
INITIATIVES
REIFFERS ART PRIZE
PARIS
THE REIFFERS ART PRIZE
Paris-based Reiffers Initiatives, part of the MAZARINE group, presided by Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers, is a well-known philanthropic fund, supporting emerging contemporary artists.
Their mission is to support thirty artists each year, fostering the international emergence of the new French art scene. The organisation initiates projects to fund, exhibit, and raise the profile of the emerging artists, the future of contemporary art.
In 2026, Stanislava Kovalcikova won the Reiffers Initiatives Prize. She succeeded Anhar Salem (2025), Clédia Fourniau (2024), Ser Serpas (2023), and Pol Taburet (2022).
For the fifth edition of the Reiffers Initiatives Prize, eight emerging artists were selected by the artistic committee, under the direction of Bernard Blistène, curator of the exhibition and Honorary Director of the National Museum of Modern Art – Centre Pompidou. The group exhibition, entitled "Tampering with the Unknown," brought together Khaled Jarada, Louis Le Kim, Stanislava Kovalcikova, Arthur Marie, Eva Helene Pade, Ibrahim Meïté Sikely, Minh Lan Tran, and Manon Wertenbroek.
Reiffers Art Prize
Reiffers Art Initiatives
PHOTO / "The Seven Celestial Spheres” by Anna Peter Breton / Photo © Courtesy of Adriano Mura
ANNA PETER BRETON
LA SCUOLA GRANDE DEI CARMINI
VENICE
THE SEVEN CELESTIAL SPHERES - THE LIGHTMAKER OF VENICE
Paris-based artist Anna Peter Breton opens her first solo exhibition in Venice, during the 61st Venice Biennale, at La Scuola Grande dei Carmini. “The Seven Celestial Spheres”, curated by Roberta Semeraro, marks a new chapter in the artist’s life.
Altogether, 14 large-scale oil paintings, in the exact shape and proportions of the windows, cover the lights in the church, casting a temporary shadow over the masterpieces. Through her oil paintings, she rebuilt the space with her own light.
Anna Peter Breton / “The Seven Celestial Spheres”
/ 61st Venice Biennale
/ La Scuola Grande dei Carmini. Venice (Italy)
6 May - 22 November 2026
PHOTO / Annish Kapoor / Photo © Courtesy of Zoltan Alexander
61ST
VENICE BIENNALE
VENICE
ART OF POLITICS
IN MINOR KEYS
The world is in escalating chaos, and the Biennial itself is being torn from all angles by it, starting with the Festival's Jury resigning last week over controversial issues, simply stating that Israel and Russia will not be considered for any prize.
In addition, the 61st Biennale lost its curator, the much-acclaimed Cape Town–based Koyo Kouoh, who suddenly died of cancer, leaving her work to a team of five collaborators to complete the exhibition.
In our upcoming article, we revisited the installations of Anish Kapoor at the Palazzo Manfrin, Marina Abramovic at the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, the Austrian pavilion housing Florentina Holzinger, at the Central pavilion Nina Katchadourian, Willem Dafoe during Dessent & Peace, also Punta della Dogana, Fondazione Prada, and the Foundation Dries van Notten.
61st Venice Biennale
6 May - 22 November 2026
'The reward of art is not fame or success but intoxication: that is why so many bad artists are unable to give it up.' Jean Cocteau
PHOTO / "Lisa Lyon" by Robert Mapplethorpe / Photos © Courtesy of Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation
MAPPLETHORPE
GALERIE THADDAEUS ROPAC
PARIS
THE FABULOUS THREESOME
What could be more intriguing than a fabulous threesome in Paris with MAPPLETHORPE, ENNINFUL and ROPAC? We asked Edward Enninful about his very first curatorial work pairing Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography at Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris.
Enninful gives the exhibition a sensational visual harmony. Curating and pairing a selection of 46 prints brilliantly together, he forges a new dialogue between the images, inviting visitors to see Mapplethorpe’s work differently.
The exhibition spans fashion photography as well as stark portraits, nudes and still lives. By capturing unexpected subjects with a classical formality, Mapplethorpe defied prevailing aesthetic standards, paving the way far ahead for unconventional, and often shocking beauty to be appreciated as ART.
“Everything has to be with storytelling, and that’s why the pairings in this exhibition were so relevant, and exciting to me.” Edward Enninful
Robert Mapplethorpe / Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris (France)
2 March - 6 April 2024
PHOTO / "Ordeal by Roses Nº15" by Eikoh Hosoe / Photo © Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery
PHOTO / Mishima "Ordeal by Roses Nº32" by Eikoh Hosoe / Photo © Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery
OKASHI
MICHEL HOPPEN GALLERY
LONDON
ORDEAL BY ROSES
Does Michael Hoppen gallery need an introduction? NO.
Hoppen is undoubtedly the finest photographic gallery in London. Not only they hold one of the foremost collections of Japanese photography in Europe, mainly by Japanese post-war photographers Yoshihiko Ueda, Shōmei Tōmatsu, Masatoshi Naitō, Nobuyoshi Araki, Eikoh Hosoe, but they also represent the most acclaimed international photographers as well, Richard Learoyd, Guy Bourdin, Peter Beard, Brassaï, Tim Walker.
After 37 years at Jubilee Place, the gallery re-opened its doors in Holland Park, which perfectly describes the gallery’s next chapter, with Okashi, an exquisite exhibition on Japanese photography.
The concept of Okashi has been used throughout Japanese aesthetics to refer to elements with delightful strangeness, power, sensuality, and intrigue.
The show illustrates an eclectic understanding of Japan’s visual identity by including photographs, vintage textiles, woodblock Shunga prints, and rich colourful avant-garde posters. Michael Hoppen personally welcomed us the press, collectors, and art enthusiasts during the private view with a personalised tour and anecdotes. A one-of-a-kind exhibition with rare pieces.
A must see.
Okashi / Michel Hoppen Gallery, London (UK)
13 April - 30 June 2024
PHOTO / "East-West/West-East" by Richard Serra / Video © Courtesy of Qatar Museums, Qatar
RICHARD SERRA
QATAR MUSEUMS
QATAR
EAST-WEST/WEST-EAST
Late March 2024, we lost the master of rusty steel, curvy metal, and monoliths, Richard Serra, whose latest project was a monumental public art installation in the Qatari desert in collaboration with Qatar Museums. East-West/West-East has become a unique landmark in Qatar since the installation took place in 2014.
Serra, throughout his life visitors were always in his mind, and according to him, the content of the work derives from interaction with the viewer. Serra has always believed that sculptures should not be hidden in a museum, instead, they should be installed in public places.
“This is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. It’s a piece that I’d really like to be seen.” Richard Serra
This breathtaking sculpture in the Qatari desert Brouq Nature Reserve spans over a kilometre and comprises four giant monolith steel plates, each over 14 metres in height. To guarantee perfect alignment, Serra examined the topography of the land and beautifully enhanced the vast, desolate space in the heart of the desert.
According to the artist, the colour of the pillars will change from grey to orange to brown until they turn dark amber. The result is a testament to his legacy and genius, it’s spectacular, and timeless.
Richard Serra / Qatar Museums, Brouq (Qatar)
2014
EAST
WEST/WEST EAST
JUST PUBLISHED
just
published
ART REVIEWS
ART REVIEWS
bottom of page