Miu Miu presents “30 Blizzards” by Helen Marten at Art Basel Paris A multidisciplinary exploration of the stages of life

During yesterday's press preview at the Palais d'Iéna, Miu Miu unveiled its latest cultural initiative as the main partner of the Art Basel Paris Public Program: the immersive project "30 Blizzards." conceived by British artist Helen Marten. This ambitious endeavor, developed at the invitation of Miuccia Prada and the Miu Miu team, represents a significant fusion between contemporary art and fashion, set against the architectural grandeur of the Palais d'Iéna, headquarters of France's Economic, Social, and Environmental Council. The exhibition opens to the public tomorrow, October 22, with free admission until October 26.

Marten, a Turner Prize-winning artist known for her intricate and layered works that explore the intersections between language, object, and narrative, expands her practice here into uncharted territories. "30 Blizzards." marks her first foray into performance, alongside theatre and opera director Fabio Cherstich, and composer Beatrice Dillon. The result is a multi-level installation that unfolds through sculpture, painting, drawing, video, writing, and performance.

At its core, the project is anchored in the rigid geometry of the hypostyle hall, where five sculptures stand in counterpoint to five corresponding videos. Each pair evokes a distinct phase of human existence, tracing a chronology from childhood to old age. The videos offer five monologues that punctuate the broader, more fluid libretto of the performance. The sculptures then interact with the projected forms of the videos, creating a dialogue between static and dynamic expression. This interplay invites contemplation of temporality, identity, and the silent dramas of personal evolution.

The title "30 Blizzards." alludes to thirty distinct personalities embodied by thirty performers, each defined by an individual emotional climate, a metaphorical "temperature" that governs their presence. These figures traverse the space alternating between song and spoken word, their interactions weaving a tapestry of fragmented stories. The performance transforms the hall into a living tableau, where visitors become inadvertent participants in a ritual of shared introspection. Marten's approach rejects linear narrative in favor of associative resonance.

Complementing the installation, Miu Miu has curated two panel discussions under the banner "Pleasure Image, Pleasure Text", scheduled for October 22 in the parliamentary chamber of the Palais d'Iéna. Overseen by Marten, these conversations bring together writers and thinkers to interrogate language as a tool of resistance and generator of innovative interpretations. The participants will explore writing's capacity to challenge entrenched power structures and categorical constraints, employing political critique, psychological insight, metaphor, and translation. All dialogues position linguistic reclamation as a pathway to renewed agency and imaginative freedom.