Artists

Kapwani Kiwanga, Joana Choumali, Thandiwe Muriu, Todd Gray, Kenturah Davis, Zanele Muholi, Gaëlle Choisne, Tschabalala Self, Carrie Mae Weems, Kathia St. Hilaire, Chiffon Thomas, Nina Chanel Abney, Zéh Palito, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Cinga Samson, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas, Glenn Ligon, Mequitta AHUJA, Kenia ALMARAZ MURILLO, Malala ANDRIALAVIDRAZANA, Jess ATIENO, Seyni AWA CAMARA, Theresa CHROMATI, Alex GARDNER, Prince GYASI, Leslie HEWITT, Reggie Burrows HODGES, Lauren KELLEY, Naomi LULENDO, Esther MAHLANGU, Georgina MAXIM, Gabriel MOSES, Emma PREMPEH, Robert PRUITT, Betye SAAR, Tavares STRACHAN, Eden TINTO COLLINS, Kennedy YANKO

Press release

Pharrell Williams and Emmanuel Perrotin have shared a creative bond since first meeting in 2007 in Miami, where they connected over their admiration for the Japanese art scene led by Takashi Murakami. Expressions of respect and brotherhood between the two are frequent, with each recognizing the other's enduring influence, relevance, and contributions to contemporary art and culture. Pharrell is particularly appreciative of Emmanuel's taste, entrepreneurial spirit, and forward- thinking vision, while Emmanuel commends Pharrell for his multifaceted creativity, his dedication to family, and his generosity as a friend. Pharrell’s sense of reverence for the women who have shaped his life—wife, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and muses—inspires their upcoming collaboration, FEMMES.

Curated by Pharrell Williams and hosted by Emmanuel Perrotin’s Parisian gallery, this exhibition builds and expands on 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 personal inspiration for Williams, their kaleidoscopic representation is the core matrix of FEMMES, with the work of artists of African descent across generations serving as its foundation.

At its heart, FEMMES is an anthem, leading the marching band of Black joy and creating space 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—a creative ecosystem where humanity takes center stage and reigns supreme.

— Louise Thurin, author and curator