Alice Diop Exploring Black Womanhood at Art Basel Paris 2026

Miu Miu returns as Art Basel Paris Public Program Official Partner for the third consecutive year. The brand presents Geste de Consolation, a multidisciplinary exhibition conceived by French filmmaker Alice Diop. Hosted at the Palais d’Iéna, the project explores Black women’s representation, collective memory, and the transformative power of artistic expression. Here, the evocative theme of Geste de Consolation becomes a connecting thread throughout the exhibition. Renowned for her cinematic vision, Alice Diop once again demonstrates her influence on contemporary art.

Invited by Miuccia Prada, Diop extends her collaboration with Miu Miu following Fragments for Venus, her 2025 contribution to Women’s Tales. With this work, her exhibition-making debut revolves around Geste and Consolation as she translates her cinematic language into an immersive experience combining film, photography, sculpture, poetry, dance, music, and performance. In many ways, director Alice Diop offers her distinct artistic insight to this exhibition. This immersive vision could only come from someone like Alice Diop.

Across four interconnected spaces, Diop brings together artists whose work has shaped her intellectual and creative journey. The narrative therefore begins with the Geste de Consolation motif, opening with photographs by Zanele Muholi and a two-screen video installation featuring archival imagery. Afterwards, visitors enter Chambre à soi, a library and domestic sanctuary inviting reflection, imagination, and emancipation. The influence of Alice Diop is felt throughout the curatorial choices in these spaces.

Geste de Consolation bringing influential literary voices

At the exhibition’s centre, live readings bring together influential literary voices, including Audre Lorde, Zora Neale Hurston, and June Jordan. Notably, the interplay of gesture and comfort—geste de consolation—resonates as performances by choreographer Nadia Beugré and musician Angel Bat Dawid further animate the space. This creates encounters between movement, language, and sound. Additionally, Alice Diop’s curatorial approach is evident in this segment of the exhibition. In this context, viewers can truly witness Alice Diop’s innovative participation in the program.

The journey culminates in Simone Leigh’s monumental bronze sculpture Sentinel (Mami Wata). Standing nearly five metres tall, the work evokes a West African water spirit associated with both destructive and generative power. Its commanding presence—mirroring the exhibition’s Geste de Consolation title—offers a final meditation on protection, transformation, and cultural inheritance. In short, the exhibition reflects the vision of Alice Diop, who continues to inspire the art world.

Alice Diop redefining Black Womanhood

Through her curatorial choices in Geste de Consolation, Diop challenges historical representations that have objectified Black women. Instead, she celebrates Black creativity as a means of repair. Moreover, the exhibition’s carefully choreographed sequence encourages visitors to reconsider their own gaze and relationship with collective histories. With these powerful gestures, Alice Diop continues shaping cultural conversation.

Continuing Miu Miu’s commitment to the dialogue between art and contemporary culture, this iteration of the exhibition reinforces the house’s exploration of women’s experiences and untold stories. Here, Alice Diop’s involvement offers new perspectives to the discussion.

Presented as part of Art Basel Paris’s Public Program, the exhibition welcomes visitors to the Palais d’Iéna from October 21 to 25, 2026. A preview will be held on October 20, further amplifying the spirit captured in Geste de Consolation. To sum up, this public presentation marks another milestone in the career of Alice Diop.

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