FEMMES
Perrotin presents FEMMES, a group exhibition curated by Pharrell Williams, showcasing nearly 40 artists. It ambitions to spotlight these luminaries while advocating for greater visibility and equity—inviting everyone in. From G I R L in 2014 to FEMMES today, the title is now plural and translated into French, with a focus on the multifaceted nature of Black womanhood.
March 20 – April 19, 2025
FEMMES reflects Pharrell’s eclectic taste and unique aesthetic equation, weaving together influences orbiting around diverse creative poles. It pays homage to the ground laying work of African American art’s tutelary figures Betye Saar and Carrie Mae Weems, alongside revered African matriarchs Seyni Awa Camara and Esther Mahlangu. Exploring textile art—traditionally tied to women’s labor and historically marginalized in art history—FEMMES highlights the intricate narratives embedded in fabric, fiber and thread. As Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Creative Director, Pharrell offers a glimpse into his atelier’s visual repertoire, featuring works by Georgina Maxim, Kenia Almaraz Murillo, Kapwani Kiwanga, Katia St. Hilaire, and Tandiwe Muriu. Themes of motherhood and lineage emerge in pieces by Emma Prempeh, Mequitta Ahuja, and Joana Choumali, while Todd Gray explores inheritance—both material and spiritual. The evocative power of shadows is also channeled through Naomi Lulendo, Cinga Samson, and Gabriel Moses.
With Nina Chanel Abney, Mequita 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, Kennedy Yanko.
Curated by Pharrell Williams and hosted by Emmanuel Perrotin’s Parisian gallery, this exhibition builds on and expands from their past common endeavors, including the 2008 design exhibition Perspectives, which introduced Pharrell to Perrotin’s world and sparked an artistic dialogue between him and Takashi Murakami, Laurent Grasso, Sophie Calle and Daniel Arsham among others. It also follows the success and focus of the 2014 group show G I R L at Perrotin Paris, inspired by Pharrell’s eponymous hit album. As Black women are important figures of Williams’ personal inspiration, their kaleidoscopic representation is the core matrix of FEMMES, with at its foundation, the work of artists of African descent across generations. Here, Perrotin’s artists—Leslie Hewitt, Alex Gardner, Tavares Strachan, Chiffon Thomas, Katia St. Hilaire, Zéh Palito and Nina Chanel Abney—are joined in this expansive communion of talent by artists from over fifteen galleries.
At its heart, FEMMES is an anthem, leading the marching band of Black joy by creating spaces for ongoing and future cultural shifts. It is a celebration, a call to honor the artists—these Soldiers of Love— who transform the world through the power of their hands. With an unwavering commitment to art in all its forms, the curator-gallerist duo invites us on a spaceship journey into a constellation of brilliance—an ever-expanding creative ecosystem where humanity takes center stage and reigns supreme.