FRIDAYS 27 MARCH AND 24 APRIL AT 5PM 
GUIDED WALKS AND ORAL TRADITION WORKSHOPS

These stories cannot be written down
Guided walks led by Armel Cotinat-Flynn and Jeyni Ba.
Starting in the lobby of the Palais des Beaux-Arts.

How long can you keep a story alive without writing it down? 
Come and listen to, and pass on, stories inspired by the works on display, as told by the artists themselves. These stories have never been written down and never will be; they can only exist through the oral tradition, passed on by word of mouth as you all take part. The passing on of these stories begins at 5pm at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, and fades away when you stop passing them on…

WEDNESDAY 13 MAY – 6.30 pm
PERFORMANCE

Paris aujourd’hui (Paris today), 2025, 5–7 minutes
Fatma Cheffi

Drawing inspiration from Bernard Heidsieck’s sound poem Vaduz (1974), the artist performs a series of words and onomatopoeia drawn from various minority languages spoken in Paris and its surroundings. Some of these words have officially entered the French language, whilst others remain on the margins. As they unfold across a long roll of paper, they transform into a swirling poem on hospitality, symbolising a space for encounter and connection. The performance explores the power and presence of these words, highlighting the polymorphic and metamorphic nature of language itself.

Fatma Cheffi is a Tunisian artist and independent curator based in Paris. Her practice explores language as a terrain that is both conflictual and fertile. Through writing, the voice and the materiality of words, she investigates its colonial scars and its potential for reappropriation.
 

WEDNESDAY 20 MAY – 9.30am–5pm
A DAY OF TALKS

Organised as part of the exhibition, this event features talks by collection curators, lecturers and students from the Beaux-Arts de Paris, as well as guest researchers.
The talks will explore the connections and friendships at work in the creative process of artists who studied at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. The aim is to share the research findings of art historians working to understand complex artistic trajectories, which are often reflected in incomplete archives. The day will highlight the connections between artists or studios and the international art scenes.
Speakers include: Mickael Berdugo, Jean-Yves Jouannais, Giulia Longo, Pascal Odile, Alice Thomine-Berrada, Dominique Willoughby, Joël Zouna...

PROJECT BETWEEN THE CLOSKY ATELIER AND CROSBY STUDIO (HARRY NURIEV)

An off-site satellite exhibition (dates to be confirmed), linked to *Des mots et des mondes*, will present merchandise designed by students from the Closky workshop, inspired by the works in the collections on display.
 

COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH STUDENTS FROM THE HÉRODOTE PROGRAMME

Laura Rutishauser and Tara Sammouri, two students from the ‘Artists & Exhibition Professions’ course, are working with students from the Hérodote programme on a project on display in the exhibition hall. Established in 2017 at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, the Herodote programme enables non-French-speaking artists in exile to reconnect with the world of art and higher education. The programme is aimed at young artists who have already begun art studies in their country of origin or who are actively engaged in artistic practice.
 

NONZINE - ATELIER EMMANUEL VAN DER MEULEN

Produced at Beaux-Arts de Paris by students from the Van der Meulen studio and linked to the research project entitled ‘Le travail du négatif’, Nonzine is structured around the principle of pooling images, drawings and texts drawn from the fringes of the students’ artistic practices. The montage, created collectively in the studio using these materials, gives rise to its unique readability and its sometimes contradictory visual logic. The latest issue is presented as part of the exhibition.
 

REFERENCE LIBRARY

A bookcase containing a selection of books related to the exhibition has been designed in collaboration with Albane Liebel, Léa Zarrad and Rafael Garcia Lara, students on the ‘Artists & Exhibition Professions’ course

Graphic design : © Halladora Magnusdottir