Photo : Gustavo Ciríaco, João Gonçalo, Caravanserá, 2025, © João Gonçalo
Making Space for the World
Taking the Cité internationale des arts as a starting point, Making Space for the World engages in a reflection on how contemporary artists approach the promises, contradictions, and legacies of cultural internationalism, namely a form of exchange, action, and solidarity that transcends national structures.
Cité internationale des arts (Paris 4th)
About
Curated by: Chương-Đài Võ, Charles Esche and Federica Chiocchetti
Taking the Cité internationale des arts as a starting point, Making Space for the World engages in a reflection on how contemporary artists approach the promises, contradictions, and legacies of cultural internationalism, namely a form of exchange, action, and solidarity that transcends national structures.
Bringing together 16 artists from 15 different countries (in residence between 2003 and today), Making Space for the World presents this relationship with borders, with what is called the international, not as an immutable value, but as a reality lived unevenly, particularly by the artists themselves: for many, a daily process of negotiation, translation, and quest for hospitality, sometimes linked to the experience of forced displacement; for others, a source of opportunity, but also of dependency, as well as a promise capable of powerfully orienting artists, without ever allowing them to entirely escape the political and cultural asymmetries of the world around them.
While the Cité internationale des arts was conceived during the interwar period and emerged after the Second World War, in a Europe marked by war and genocide, its founders proposed another horizon: one where artistic exchanges could create forms of proximity and relationship that nation-states had failed to maintain in previous decades. Through its name, "Cité internationale des arts," the emphasis is placed on the site itself as an international exception endowed with its own codes, rhythms, and temporary communities. It was imagined as a city within a city, a place capable of suspending, if only partially, the hierarchies of the nation-state world beyond its walls. However, the Cité was inseparable from a broader French cultural ambition. It has thus always carried within it two contradictory impulses: a desire for openness to the world and a mission aimed at placing Paris at its center. This tension inspired the title of the exhibition as well as the choice of participating artists, and raises the question of power relations and access to mobility.
Some artists propose horizontal forms of gathering: carnival and caravan as metaphors for exchange and welcome, song as a promise of return in the face of annihilation, or matrilineality as an alternative social structure. Other projects remind us that art is a temporary refuge against grief and trauma, a suture for physical and symbolic wounds, or a herald of hidden histories that resurface.
With the artists: Louidgi Beltrame, Emma Charrin, Kari Ikonen, Young Joo Lee, Olia Fedorova, Thomas Henriksson, Gustavo Ciríaco, João Gonçalo Lopes, Ola Hassanain, Himat M. Ali, Zbyněk Baladrán, Hussein Nassereddine, Taysir Batniji, Cristina Escobar, Gluklya, Wendie Zahibo.
Exhibition from October 8, 2026, to January 16, 2027
Opening – Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 6 pm to 9 pm
Wednesdays from 2 pm to 9 pm (late opening)
Thursday to Saturday from 2 pm to 7 pm
➜ Gallery
Marais site | Cité internationale des arts
Free admission
Our take on this event
Forget conventional borders and step into this creative haven tucked away in the Marais to experience a world without walls. Sixteen artists from across the globe reveal the realities of artistic exchange, questioning what it means to build connections beyond political maps. It is an insightful look at the beauty, struggle, and nomadic spirit that define modern cultural identity.
The exhibition Faire place au monde arrives at the Cité internationale des arts from October 8, 2026, to January 16, 2027. This significant project showcases works by 16 artists from 15 different countries, focusing on the tensions and promises of cultural internationalism. By exploring the history of the host venue and the personal experiences of displacement or hospitality, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on global power dynamics and artistic mobility. Admission is free for all visitors, providing an accessible way to engage with these contemporary themes in the heart of Paris's 4th arrondissement.
Curated by Chương-Đài Võ, Charles Esche, and Federica Chiocchetti, this exhibition examines how contemporary artists navigate the complexities of cultural internationalism. Featuring 16 artists who have been in residence since 2003, the display highlights the lived experience of moving across borders, the search for hospitality, and the political asymmetries that shape the modern world. The project specifically addresses the history of the Cité internationale des arts, exploring its identity as a site designed for international exchange and its connection to broader French cultural ambitions.
The opening night will take place on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 18:00 to 21:00. Following the launch, the exhibition is open to the public every Wednesday from 14:00 to 21:00, and from Thursday to Saturday between 14:00 and 19:00. Entry is free of charge at the site's gallery in the Marais. The works on view offer diverse perspectives on community, memory, and the role of art as a temporary refuge against trauma and grief.
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