The Facts
On November 2, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac gallery announced 'FEAR', an exhibition at its Pantin space exploring the historical and contemporary manifestations of fear through works by Ron Mueck, Joseph Beuys, Niki de Saint Phalle, and others. The show includes Mueck's 2025 installation 'Havoc', depicting a pack of dogs poised to attack, and Banks Violette's 'Mirror Wall' (2007), which uses a pneumatic device to shatter a reflective surface. Works by VALIE EXPORT, Oksana Chatchko, and Minh-Lan Tran are also featured, alongside Beuys's 'Handgranate' (1970).
The Signal
The exhibition positions fear as a timeless human condition, not merely a product of contemporary media. By juxtaposing works that evoke threat—such as Mueck's hyperrealist dogs and Violette's self-destructive mirror—with pieces that subvert violence, like de Saint Phalle's Shooting Paintings (1961) where a rifle blast creates art, the show suggests that fear can be confronted and transformed. For collectors and curators, this thematic grouping signals a continued institutional interest in psychological and political tension, linking post-war avant-garde gestures to current anxieties.
- Artists: Ron Mueck, Banks Violette, Niki de Saint Phalle, Joseph Beuys, Valie Export, Oksana Chatchko, Minh-Lan Tran
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac
- Museums: Centre Pompidou
- Locations: Pantin
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