Galerie Perrotin is set to show FEMMES, a group exhibition curated by Pharrell Williams, featuring nearly 40 artists. Running from March 20 – April 19, 2025, the exhibition aims to spotlight these luminaries while advocating for greater visibility and equity, inviting everyone to participate. The title, now plural and translated into French, reflects a focus on the multifaceted nature of Black womanhood, evolving from the 2014 exhibition G I R L to FEMMES today.
Pharrell Williams and Emmanuel Perrotin have shared a creative bond since their first meeting in 2007 in Miami, where they connected over their mutual admiration for the Japanese art scene led by Takashi Murakami. Their expressions of respect and brotherhood are frequent, with each recognizing the other's enduring influence and contributions to contemporary art and culture.
Pharrell appreciates Emmanuel's taste, entrepreneurial spirit, and forward-thinking vision, while Emmanuel commends Pharrell for his multifaceted creativity, dedication to family, and generosity as a friend. Pharrell's reverence for the women who have shaped his life—wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and muses—inspires their collaboration, FEMMES.
FEMMES reflects Pharrell’s eclectic taste and unique aesthetic, weaving together diverse creative influences. It pays homage to pioneering African American artists such as Betye Saar and Carrie Mae Weems, alongside revered African matriarchs like Seyni Awa Camara and Esther Mahlangu.
Exploring textile art—often tied to women's labor and historically marginalized—FEMMES highlights the intricate narratives embedded in fabric, fiber, and thread. As Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Creative Director, Pharrell includes works from his atelier, featuring artists like Georgina Maxim, Kenia Almaraz Murillo, Kapwani Kiwanga, Katia St. Hilaire, and Tandiwe Muriu. Themes of motherhood and lineage emerge in works by Emma Prempeh, Mequitta Ahuja, and Joana Choumali, while Todd Gray delves into material and spiritual inheritance. The evocative power of shadows is also explored through Naomi Lulendo, Cinga Samson, and Gabriel Moses.
An Anthem of Black Joy
At its heart, FEMMES serves as an anthem, leading the charge for Black joy and 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 their creativity. With a steadfast commitment to art in all its forms, this curator-gallerist duo invites us on a journey into a constellation of brilliance—an ever-expanding creative ecosystem where humanity takes center stage.
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