Exploring art and athletics: exhibits to see in Paris during the Olympics

Art and culture have always been intertwined with the Olympic and Paralympic Games since their early days. From 1912 to 1949, sculpture, architecture, literature, music and painting were even officially part of the competition. Today, the Olympics continue this legacy through the Cultural Olympiad events and countless other art experiences that emerge in every host city. The 2024 Paris Games will occur during the typically busy summer months in France's art world. However, many galleries and cultural institutions have opted to stay open this year. They are showing exhibitions exploring the relationship between art and sports through creative interpretations. Displays range from an artist's collages remixing Olympic posters to a sculpture that can be skated on. Other exhibits include a futuristic look at sports ergonomics and an interactive experience focused on amusement parks.

Clotilde Jiménez - ‘The Long Run’

For Clotilde Jiménez, art and sports are deeply interconnected, influenced by their own family experiences. Their father was a bodybuilder, and athletics serves as a lens for exploring wider topics in their work like masculinity, queer and Black identities. Last year, the American artist was selected to create two official posters for the Paris Games. These collages are now featured in an exhibition touring 500 French cities as part of the 'Art Poster' initiative consisting of posters by six artists in total. However, original works on paper by the young artist can currently be seen in their second solo show at Mariane Ibrahim's Paris gallery space. Through collaged compositions, swimmers, surfers, dancers, basketball players, fencers, and riders burst through in choreographed harmony, portraying collective effort rather than singular competition.

‘The Art of the Olympics’ - Gagosian

The Olympics provide no shortage of interesting details. For the 2024 Paris Games, cloth from Christo and Jeanne-Claude's iconic installation L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (1961–2021) has been reused to create event tents. Concurrently, Christo is one of the artists featured in the exhibition 'The Art of the Olympics' presented in both of Gagosian's Paris galleries. At the rue de Castiglione space, Christo's drawing Running Fence (1974) - a sketch for an ephemeral public project in Northern California - is displayed alongside playful juxtapositions of pieces by nine additional contemporary artists.

Raphaël Zarka - Centre Pompidou Piazza

Raphaël Zarka is an artist, skateboarder, and self-described "collector of forms" from France. His breakthrough project, initiated in 2005, was titled 'Riding Modern Art'. To begin, Zarka assembled photographs from skateboarding magazines showing skaters performing tricks on sculptures situated in urban spaces. He later continued the project by creating his own photos and films on the same topic. Over two decades, Zarka's work has encompassed geometry, gravity, Modernism, board sports, and adrenaline. All of these elements are incorporated into his monumental new sculpture, Cycloïd Piazza (2024), installed at the Centre Pompidou's Piazza for the Olympics. Zarka's multifaceted background and long career exploring the intersection of art and skateboarding culminate in this unique public artwork.

MATCH: Design & Sport - Musée du Luxembourg

While sports involve physical exertion, there are deeper dimensions involving equipment, prosthetics, regulations, and data analysis on the periphery. In this manner, design and athletics are closely intertwined, continuously influencing each other through mutual pursuits of optimal performance. The exhibition 'MATCH', curated and scenographically designed by German Konstantin Grcic, narrates this relationship through 150 artifacts. Items on display span innovations like the initial sports bra designed for women (JogBra, 1977) to symbols of inclusion such as the unofficial flag for the 'refugee team' at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 'MATCH' illustrates how design has propelled sports forward just as sporting advances have spurred new design solutions over time.

‘L’image en Seine’ - Jeu de Paume at Paris Plages

It's still being determined if members of the public will ever be allowed to swim directly in the Seine River for safety reasons. However, a walk along the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin offers an engaging water-themed experience instead. In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Jeu de Paume Arts Center—focused on photography, film, and video—has organized an outdoor exhibition there. Visitors can view photographs lining the canal featuring images of Paris and its waterways. Some depict urban swimmers as captured by photographers such as Robert Capa, André Kertész, Luigi Ghirri, Laure Albin Guillot, and Martin Parr. This enjoyable al fresco display brings the subject of water to life alongside the picturesque waterway.