To mark October 2025 art week, Galerie Negropontes is expanding with the opening of a new exhibition space in the gallery’s lower level: a vaulted 17th-century cellar that reveals the raw beauty of Parisian stone in all its authenticity. Conceived as a place of discovery, this space creates dialogue between the exposed stone and pristine white walls, striking a subtle balance between history and contemporaneity. Contrast and harmony are its defining themes – a setting designed to invite visitors to pause, observe, and exchange ideas. Envisioned as a contemporary cabinet of curiosities, this space invites visitors to explore creations selected for their poetic resonance and singular character. Designed as an intimate extension of the gallery’s collection, it will permanently showcase a curated selection of signature works by the gallery’s artists.

To inaugurate this new setting, Tal Lancman & Maurizio Galante present a majestic Owl from their feathered bestiary, while Éric de Dormael displays his architectural compositions in brass or papier-mâché. Perrin & Perrin showcase their iconic glass pieces, echoing the unique ceramics of Benjamin Poulanges and Jean-Christophe Malaval, whose works embody the raw power of material and gesture. Agnès Baillon presents a papier-mâché mascaron, reminiscent of an ancient sculpture that resonates with the spirit of the space. An installation by Ulrika Liljedahl, composed of intensely vibrant blue horsehair, adds a sense of movement and depth. Two sculptural side tables by Mauro Mori and a pair of armchairs by Hervé Langlais create an intimate salon-like dialogue between form and material. The ensemble is punctuated by a photograph by Garo Minassian, whose profound tonalities evoke the captivating blues of Samarkand.

This opening will also mark the introduction of three new artists to the gallery: Mane Phély, Linda Ouhbi, and Carmen M. Castañeda. Mane Phély elevates cardboard, transforming this humble material into something precious and radiant. In her works, it becomes gold, light, and vibration, evoking both medieval illuminated manuscripts and Byzantine mosaics. Through a subtle interplay of shadow and shimmer, she unveils the poetic power of a transfigured medium. Linda Ouhbi, for her part, works clay with a meditative slowness, privileging gesture and the tactile memory of the hand. Her stoneware sculptures, crafted using the flat coil technique, carry the traces of time and the breath of the material. Poised at the intersection of past and present, her works, imbued with restrained intensity, evoke a timeless humanity. Finally, Carmen M. Castañeda explores embroidery as a powerful visual and conceptual language. Trained at the École Lesage in Paris, she deliberately subverts Haute Couture techniques, transforming them into a medium through which to reflect on gesture and the passage of time. By embroidering on the reverse side of the canvas, Castañeda allows the thread to trace an introspective and delicate world, in which slowness and poetry emerge as the true materials of her work.

This carefully curated selection enriches the gallery’s offering, presenting discerning collectors with unique, exceptional pieces that demonstrate the vitality and diversity of contemporary creation championed by Galerie Negropontes.