For its fourth edition, OFFSCREEN Paris has taken up residence in the hallowed La Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière. The week-long fair brings together 28 artists, each presenting installations, still and moving images. The exhibition moves fluidly between avant-garde, historical, and contemporary works, forming a vibrant and eclectic collection of artistic voices.
Departing from the more brutalist settings of previous years, this edition invites guests to experience the artworks within an architectural landmark — the setting itself a masterpiece. The church, built in the shape of a Greek cross, features four naves and four chapels radiating around a central space crowned by an octagonal dome. The oculus and windows allow light to cascade through the interior, creating a natural illumination of the works on view.
Light pours across the space where Maria Stamenković Herranz presents her newly commissioned performance This Mortal House Building 3. Over six days, eight hours each day, the artist constructs a spiral from 1,440 uncooked bricks. The performance is completed blindfolded and culminates in the total destruction of the work on Sunday, the fair’s final day. It is a piece of profound endurance, ritual, and renewal.
Among the standouts are Yarema Malashchuk & Roman Khimei, the Ukrainian duo formed in 2016. Their work You Shouldn’t Have to See This (2024) is one of the first encounters upon entering the fair, setting the tone for what follows. The silent video installation depicts children asleep, an image of innocence that simultaneously unsettles, blurring the line between tenderness and intrusion.
Alexander Ugay contributes his photographic series Memory Objects (2013), which presents the reverse sides of photographic documents from Soviet labour camp archives. By turning the records away from the viewer, Ugay reframes their significance, emphasising their materiality and the residue of history. The series dissolves the distinction between signifier and signified, transforming physical traces into quiet meditations on memory and erasure.
This year’s guest of honour is Shigeko Kubota (1937–2015), the pioneering video artist whose five-decade career was instrumental in establishing video as a fine art form. Her inclusion speaks to OFFSCREEN’s ongoing commitment to bridging media, history, and innovation.
Additionally, a new initiative also debuts this year: the presentation of works from institutional collections. Two museums — The Centre Pompidou and The ZKM Center for Art and Media — have been invited to exhibit in the Magasins, a dedicated section within the church’s nave. Their selected works offer a concise yet compelling glimpse into the distinct curatorial visions of each institution.
The fair runs from 21–26 October and is free to attend, though booking is essential due to limited capacity.
