Paris Internationale Opens Next Week

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Since 2015, Paris Internationale has been building its vision of a new kind of contemporary art fair : an event where conviviality, sharing, encounters and exchanges are as important as the commercial success of the galleries that imagined and defined its contours.

Exhibition Design

For their second collaboration with Paris Internationale, Christ & Gantenbein have again embraced the uniqueness of the given venue. They created an exhibition design that accentuates the building’s typological features while focusing on permeability and connectivity. This year’s exceptional location features large plateaux with extensive glazing, double-height spaces under exposed concrete beams, and three internal courtyards flooded with light. It thus provides a given of very high-quality that allows the architectural intervention to be as minimal as possible. This strategy of economy of means is further pursued in the reuse of many elements from previous editions, together with the infrastructure found on site.

Christ & Gantenbein's exhibition design interprets the building as an urban space, which fosters a sense of openness and exchange. Spreading across this former switching station's vast expanse of 5000 m2, the gallery spaces are complemented with open areas that encourage exploration, discovery, and community.

Adopting once again a radical system that sets a clear framework and by introducing walls instead of boxes, the design challenges the encapsulation typical of art fair layouts. True to the identity of Paris Internationale, neon lights and simple walls with minimal finishesremain primary elements, delineating booths and showcasing artwork. The result, underpinned by a commitment to maintaining the building's historical integrity while introducing modern elements that facilitate the display and appreciation of art, is a bold blend where the past dialogues with the present.

Some of Christ & Gantenbein’s major completed projects include the expansion and transformation of the Swiss National Museum in Zurich and the extension of the Kunstmuseum Basel. Among their diverse range of current projects are the recently completed housing development in Paris’ 15th arrondissement, the extension of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne, the extension of the MACBA in Barcelona, and the Kunstmuseum Main Building Renovation in Basel.

Further information in the press release to download

- Fotogallery (2)