Palais de Tokyo

Choosing to stage the event at the DuSable Museum’s Roundhouse will enable the Palais de Tokyo to export its unique approach in a different space. Built in Paris in 1937, the Palais de Tokyo has gone through major iterations and renovations. When transforming the building into an art center dedicated to supporting emerging and mid-career artists, a conscious decision was made to retain the building’s minimalist aesthetic. It became a veritable statement-piece for the architects, Lacaton & Vassal, commissioned to renovate the building based on Palais de Tokyo’s specific artistic focus and direction. In keeping with that same artistic focus, Palais de Tokyo’s exhibition program pushes the envelope in terms of artistic challenges and scope, providing artists with the opportunity to engage in a strong dialogue exploring the notions of volume and space. Situating this reflection within the context of the Chicago Architecture Biennial will offer an exceptional opportunity to widen this focus, exploring the way the artists can incorporate some of architecture’s own processes into their practice. The program uses art to encourage a more introspective exploration of an individual’s relation to architecture and space.

Established in 2002 and dedicated to contemporary art, Palais de Tokyo welcomes today’s generation of artists and is the largest center for contemporary art in Europe. Palais de Tokyo “Hors les Murs” program offers off-site exhibitions held during major international art events. Previous projects include Zürich, in parallel to Manifesta 11 (June 2016), as well as in Singapore (January 2016), an exhibition co-produced with the ICA Singapore and presented on the occasion of Art Stage Singapore. Palais de Tokyo has also organized two participations at the Lyon Biennale (2013 and 2015) and the traveling exhibition “Inside China” coproduced with the K11 Foundation during Art Basel Hong Kong 2015 and in Shanghai. Projects have also been developed with MoMA PS1 and the Stedelijk Museum in 2014. palaisdetokyo.com.