Art Basel Paris 2026: Three exhibitions we would see off the beaten track.
Paris will once again transform into an art metropolis this week. From October 23 to 25, Art Basel Paris returns to the Grand Palais with more than 200 galleries. Preview Days begin as early as October 21. But while much of the focus is on the big names and institutions, it's particularly worthwhile to venture off the beaten path. Art Basel
For DAPPO, we have selected three exhibitions running during Art Basel week that show Paris from a slightly different perspective: architecture meets sculpture, found objects become social commentary, and an iconic Le Corbusier villa itself becomes part of the work.
01 Kennedy Yanko: Ce qui nous rassemble
City of architecture and heritage · October 16, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Anyone passing by the Trocadéro anyway shouldn't just stop for the view of the Eiffel Tower.
For the Public Program of Art Basel Paris, the American artist Kennedy Yanko has developed a new body of work for the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine. Her sculptures are created from recycled metal and large, flexible acrylic "paint skins"—somewhere between painting, sculpture, and something almost corporeal. Art Basel
The exhibition's appeal lies primarily in its location. Yanko's works stand amidst monumental casts of historical French architecture: portals, reliefs, and figures encounter curved metal and intense fields of color. Instead of attempting to assert itself against the architecture, the art suddenly reveals what normally remains hidden – construction, reverse sides, supports, and tension.
It is this blend of raw material and almost weightless composition that lingers. An exhibition that one visits less like a classic white cube and more like a spatial dialogue.
DAPPO note: It's best to allow some time and not just view the works from the front. The side and back views are an integral part of the exhibition.
(Source: Art Basel Paris; Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine)
02 Katinka Bock: High and Dry
Maison La Roche – Fondation Le Corbusier · 13.–31. October 2026
Perhaps our favorite stop for anyone who goes to Paris for architecture as well as art.
The Franco-German artist Katinka Bock is exhibiting photographs and sculptures at Maison La Roche that respond directly to the building and its use. Le Corbusier's house is not simply used as a beautiful backdrop; it is an integral part of the work. Fondation Le Corbusier
Bock has been exploring places, materials, time, and change for years. In High and Dry, these themes converge on one of the key buildings of early modernism. Her work examines the transitions between inside and outside, architecture and nature, stability and change. Journées nationales de l'architecture
The result is deliberately understated. No spectacular staging, no huge projections. Instead, details, materials, and subtle shifts that lead one to perceive the spaces of Maison La Roche differently.
That's precisely why the exhibition fits well into an Art Basel week, where one can quickly become visually oversaturated.
DAPPO note: Don't squeeze it in between two appointments. The house itself is at least half the experience.
(Source: Fondation Le Corbusier; Art Basel Paris)
03 Ladji Diaby: Godspeed You Black Emperor
Crèvecœur, 9 rue des Cascades · until November 28, 2026
For the third stop, we move away from the major institutions and into the gallery.
Ladji Diaby works with found objects, materials, and memories—things that have already lived a life. His current exhibition at Crèvecœur explores commodities, circulation, labor, and the stories hidden behind seemingly banal objects.
Diaby describes his own practice involving memory and material: objects are found, recorded, connected, and removed from their original context. It is precisely through this process that they acquire a new political and emotional tension. His focus includes examining the paths products take, who manufactures, transports, and consumes them. Galerie Crevecœur
This makes the exhibition feel less finished than many traditional presentations. More like an ongoing process – a space in which objects suddenly bear traces of economics, migration, everyday life, and personal history.
Following his appearance at Lafayette Anticipations last year, Diaby is one of the artists we believe to watch. Art Basel
DAPPO note: If you're looking for a gallery during Art Basel that isn't already crowded with ten tour groups, this might be the place for you.
(Source: Crèvecœur; Art Basel)
Why these three?
Of course, you can also see Warhol, Cézanne, Twombly, or the major international gallery shows this week. But for us, visiting Paris during Art Basel works best if you combine the fair with a few detours.
Kennedy Yanko for material and monumentality.
Katinka Bock for architecture and tranquility.
Ladji Diaby for a younger, socially charged perspective.
Three exhibitions that are very different – and precisely for that reason form a good counterpoint to the Grand Palais.
At a glance:
Art Basel Paris
Grand Palais, October 23–25, 2026. Preview: October 21–22, 2026, Art Basel
Kennedy Yanko – Ce qui nous rassemble
Cité de l'architecture and du patrimoine10 /16/2026–03/01/2027 Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine
Katinka Bock – High and Dry
Maison La Roche – Fondation Le Corbusier13–31.10.2026 Fondation Le Corbusier
Ladji Diaby – Godspeed You Black Emperor
Crèvecœur, Paris11.09.–28.11.2026 Galerie Crevecœur
The DAPPO take: Do the fair, but leave room for the detours. In Paris, they are usually where the interesting part begins.
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