ECHO DELAY REVERB at Palais de Tokyo: 50 Years of American Art Through Francophone Thought
'ECHO DELAY REVERB: Art américain, pensées francophones,' curated by Naomi Beckwith, is currently on display at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, showcasing approximately sixty artists. This exhibition explores the impact of Francophone theory on American art over the last fifty years, utilizing concepts of echo, delay, and reverberation to illustrate cultural interactions. Significant features include the influence of Semiotext(e) in spreading French theory and an analysis of the 'politics of form.' Highlighted works comprise Lorraine O'Grady's interventions, Renée Green's landscapes, and Pope.L's 'The Polis or the Garden or Human natura in action' (1998-2025). The exhibition is open until February 14, 2026, and Beckwith is set to lead Documenta 14 in 2027.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'ECHO DELAY REVERB: Art américain, pensées francophones' at Palais de Tokyo, Paris
- Curated by Naomi Beckwith, who is also designated director of Documenta 14 (2027)
- Occupies the entire Palais de Tokyo building
- Features approximately sixty artists
- Explores influence of Francophone theory (Derrida, Fanon, Deleuze, Lacan, Glissant) on American art over 50 years
- Includes focus on Semiotext(e) press from Columbia University
- Two autonomous sections: Melvin Edwards retrospective and Caroline Kent site-specific installation
- Pope.L's work 'The Polis or the Garden or Human natura in action' (1998-2025) includes 1,200 painted onions
- Runs until February 14, 2026
- Mention of postmodernism as an unspoken but pervasive framework
Entities
Artists
- Naomi Beckwith
- Lorraine O'Grady
- Renée Green
- Hock E Aye Vi (Edgar Heap of Birds)
- Tiona Nekkia McClodden
- Char Jeré
- Kameelah Janan Rasheed
- Melvin Edwards
- Caroline Kent
- Dan Graham
- Hans Haacke
- Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
- Cindy Sherman
- Lorna Simpson
- Glenn Ligon
- Tala Madani
- Cameron Rowland
- Paul Mpagi Sepuya
- Cici Wu
- Pope.L
- June Gibbons
- Jennifer Gibbons
- Marilena Di Tursi
Institutions
- Palais de Tokyo
- Columbia University
- Semiotext(e)
- Documenta 14
- Artribune
- Corriere del Mezzogiorno
- Corriere della Sera
- Segno arte contemporanea
Locations
- Paris
- France
- United States