PARALLEL Paris
Following its 14th edition in Vienna, PARALLEL is heading to Paris this autumn for its second international edition. The venue is a 16th-century building on Rue des Gravilliers in the heart of the Marais, one of the city’s renowned gallery districts. The intersection of exhibition space and social space, which also shaped parts of PARALLEL Vienna in September, continues here.
The program extends across the restaurant Derrière, the bar Andy Wahloo and the upper floors, offering a relaxed setting in which to experience art during a busy fair week. Come by for dinner or just for a drink. At Derrière, art is on the menu too: works related to food are presented throughout the restaurant, while Pop Art sets the tone at Andy Wahloo. The first and second floors bring together galleries and projects from Vienna and Paris, presenting selected works from their programs in a group show.
PARALLEL Paris
69, rue des Gravilliers
75003 Paris
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE VENUE
Built around 1550 as a private mansion, the building is said to have once been home to Gabrielle d’Estrées, the famous mistress of King Henry IV of France. Centuries later, as the Arts et Métiers district developed into a lively commercial and crafts quarter, the building also housed a shirt-making business. The sign reading “Fabrique de chemises” (“shirt factory”) above the entrance to the Andy Wahloo bar still recalls this chapter of its history today.
ANDY WAHLOO
Andy Wahloo emerged in the early 2000s from a collaboration between restaurateur Mourad Mazouz and Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj, who transformed the former commercial space into a distinctive bar. The name goes back to Algerian musician Rachid Taha, who gave Hassan Hajjaj the nickname, and is a playful pun on Andy Warhol: “Andy Wahloo” roughly translates from North African Arabic as “I have nothing.” Hassan Hajjaj designed the interior of Andy Wahloo in his characteristic visual language, playfully combining elements of Moroccan everyday culture, repurposed objects and influences from Pop Art.
DERRIÈRE
Located at the rear of the building and reached through the courtyard, Derrière takes its name from the French word for “behind.” Conceived to feel like a “real home,” the restaurant is arranged like a private apartment. With a living room, bed, library and, of course, a kitchen, it is a place with a character and history all its own. derriere-resto.com
PARALLEL Paris is supported by
Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport
