ART PARIS-SP — SHADOWPLAY

April, 2026

Taking place from 9 to 12 April, at the Grand Palais in Paris, Art Paris reunited 165 French and international galleries that showcased the talents leading the art industry today and the newcomers forging the art conversations of tomorrow.

For this edition, the Promesses sector gathered 27 young galleries representing emerging artists from around the world. Curated by Marc Donnadieu, these galleries were established less than ten years ago.

Themes of identity and belonging, through the prism of the body, culture, heritage, politics, and everyday life, resurface as a way to explore the self and understand the artist's view on human experiences and relationships. Artists use these introspective moments to spark conversations about how they’re perceived by society versus how they perceive themselves, and their position in the world.

Here is a selection of what caught our eyes at the Grand Palais.

At AA Gallery, Yasmine Hadni presents a body of work rooted in personal introspection but traversed by a deep exploration of the dynamics found in Moroccan families. Her exhibition showcases the different interactions within them. Her paintings are intimate depictions of family gatherings, but seen through an external lens. Her work mixes an introspection of her place within those dynamics and the social interplays that influence them.

*Left Jour de Fête, Yasmine Hadni, 2925*
*Right Le Dernier Mot, Yasmine Hadni, 2025*

For Philippine d’Otreppe at EDJI Gallery, this sense of belonging is seen through the depiction of the Parisian brasserie. With an immersive installation, the artist shows social gatherings as a deeply performative act where cultural identity takes center stage. Recognizable and everyday objects like butter, crème de marrons, eggs, salads, charcuterie, and more are part of her installation. The viewer can immediately immerse themselves in the joy of sharing and recognize themselves, not only through its realism, but also through the relatability of the paintings.

Narratives of youth and diasporic identities are explored at The Bridge Gallery, where photographer Sarfo Emmanuel Annor and artist Noah Beyen explore the identities of African youth and their self-discovery journeys. The Ghanaian photographer’s intense images showcase the different dynamics shaping contemporary African youth. Swedish and Ethiopian artist Noah Beyen draws his inspiration from both his cultures and the identity of a diaspora that, like him, explores their African identity from afar.

*Left Paralleled Paths, Sarfo Emmanuel Annor, 2024*
*Right Midnight Sun, Noah Beyen, 2024*

Brazilian artist Ian Salamente, showcased at Salon H, presents canvases where popular identity is represented by elements intrinsic to his hometown, Cabo Frio, such as salt. Salt becomes for him a sense of belonging and a vessel for the stories of his people. His paintings become a medium to represent the experiences of young people through familiar faces such as friends and neighbours.

*Left Sonho Editado, Ian Salamente, 2025*
*Right Escanteio, Ian Salamente, 2025*

The body becomes a means to explore self-identity and belonging, but also a medium that carries social, political, and cultural messages. The body, politicised as it is, becomes a canvas for artists to introspect more deeply into their own selves and its relationship to society.

At Grège Galerie, Chidy Wayne and Juliette Lemontey explore the body through diverse proportions and lenses. For Chidy, the body is a simple language, characterized by clean lines but monumental proportions. His body of work questions self-identity through feelings of inner conflict. For Juliette Lemontey, the body is represented through ethereal, intimate silhouettes and blurred faces, creating space for the viewer to create their own context for the images.

*Left Plein soleil, Juliette Lemontey, 2026*
*Right PUGNATOR 088 , Chidy Wayne, 2026*

Pit Riewer for Reuter Bausch Art Gallery explores the body and its emotions through thermal images, representing the tensions between the inner and outer self. The intensity of his images matches the depth of his practice, which is rooted in the body’s response to external influences, transforming his art into not only a visual experience but also a sensory one.

*Left External, Pit Riewer, 2025*
*Right Vessels, Pit Riewer, 2025*

Lara Bloy, at the Pauline Renard gallery, explores the body with an intimate and personal lens. The movements of the body she introduces are precise, delicate, yet carry a strong sense of self-knowledge. Her depictions of intimacy are quite meditative and introspective, almost like questioning what it means to inhabit our own body, giving us a sense of a contemplative state of mind in each of her paintings.

*Left Egarée 51, Lara Bloy, 2025*
*Right Egarée 42, Lara Bloy, 2024*

Text by Carolina Benjumea

ART PARIS: REFLECTIONS ON IDENTITY AND BELONGING

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