To celebrate the release of his new album ‘GIRL’, Pharrell Williams has collaborated with gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin; bringing us an eclectic mix of 48 different artworks as an exhibition at Galerie Perrotin at the historic Salle De Bal in Paris. The show ranges through an expanse of media and aesthetic, yet ties creatively under the theme of femininity.
12 specially produced pieces have been made for the event, interpreting the subject through vibrantly colored paintings, large-scale sculpture and installations. The selection of 37 artists includes 18 females, with Marina Abramovic & Ulay, Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono and Paola Pivi participating in the celebration of women, individuality and creativity.
After the launch party for my new gallery in New York in late 2013, Pharrell took a few of us to listen to the first 5 tracks of his upcoming album GIRL. The songs put us in such a good mood that we danced to all of them. At this moment, we realized that this tribute to women was going to be a worldwide success and would represent a shift in his career. Pharrell made us feel like we were part of it. This project at the gallery in Paris is a natural continuation of this adventure.
Emmanuel Perrotin
Among the works created specially for the exhibition are a large circular painting by Takashi Murakami (a tribute to Pharrell and his wife in her wedding gown), a sculpture by Daniel Arsham made of broken glass (in which a full body cast of the artist was made), a laser portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Gregor Hildebrandt, a new work on canvas by KAWS of Lucy Van Pelt from the popular ‘peanuts’ series and special projects with Guerrilla Girls, Rob Pruitt and JR, for whom Pharrell created the soundtrack of his latest film.