FEMMES
Perrotin Gallery, Paris
From March 20th until April 19th, 2025
This spring, Perrotin Gallery, Paris is hosting FEMMES, a new exhibition curated by the multidisciplinary creative Pharrell Williams, which pays homage to Black women and their transformative influence on art and culture. Building on their past collaborations, including the 2008 design exhibition Perspectives that introduced Pharrell to Perrotin’s world and formed an artistic dialogue with Takashi Murakami, Laurent Grasso, Sophie Calle, and Daniel Arsham, FEMMES also follows the success of the 2014 group show G I R L, inspired by Pharrell’s album.
Pharrell Williams, known for his artistic partnerships, has curated the exhibition as a celebration of femininity, resilience, and empowerment, including the works of 39 established and emerging artists, from the assemblage artist Betye Saar to South African artist Esther Mahlangu, Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, and British painter Emma Prempeh—who explores themes of identity and belonging through domestic settings–this exhibition presents a rich diversity of voices.
opening image: Lauren Kelley, Burlap Interior (screenshot of video), 2013.
Pharrell’s deep respect for the women who have shaped his life, his wife, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and muses, all serve as the driving force behind the exhibition, ad in describing the inspiration behind FEMMES, Pharrell says, “The Black woman endures a gravity unlike any other.” His goal is to honour the strength, grace, and enduring impact of Black women on art and society, and as such, this exhibition is anchored by the work of artists of African descent, spanning multiple generations, and is complemented by Perrotin’s roster, which includes Leslie Hewitt, Alex Gardner, Tavares Strachan, Chiffon Thomas, Katia St. Hilaire, and Nina Chanel Abney.
Open to the public, FEMMES invites visitors to experience the powerful narratives woven into each piece, whether through painting, photography, or mixed media, the artworks offer profound insights into the beauty, complexity, and strength of Black womanhood.
Artists: Nina Chanel Abney, Mequitta Ahuja, Kenia Almaraz Murillo, Malala Andrialavidrazana, Jess Atieno, Seyni Awa Camara, Gaëlle Choisne, Joana Choumali, Theresa Chromati, Kenturah Davis, Alex Gardner, Todd Gray, Prince Gyasi, Leslie Hewitt, Reggie Burrows Hodges, Lauren Kelley, Kapwani Kiwanga, Glenn Ligon, Naomi Lulendo, Esther Mahlangu, Georgina Maxim, Gabriel Moses, Zanele Muholi, Thandiwe Muriu, Zéh Palito, Emma Prempeh, Robert Pruitt, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Betye Saar, Cinga Samson, Tschabalala Self, Kathia St. Hilaire, Tavares Strachan, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas, Chiffon Thomas, Eden Tinto Collins, Carrie Mae Weems, and Kennedy Yanko.
For further information perrotin.com.
