Art world report·Paris
24-hour art-meets-techno takeover in Paris: Richie Hawtin and John Gerrard stage a free digital installation and a 12-hour club night for Art Basel Paris week
Techno pioneer Richie Hawtin and digital artist John Gerrard will hold a 24-hour, two-part event at Paris venue FVTVR on 24–25 October 2026 during Art Basel Paris: a free daytime digital installation with an original Plastikman score, followed by a midnight-to-noon club programme pairing Hawtin's set with Gerrard's SPIRITS installation.

Two pioneers from opposite ends of the creative spectrum are turning a Paris venue into a day-long hybrid of art and electronic music. Producer Richie Hawtin, working as Plastikman, and digital artist John Gerrard have announced a 24-hour event at FVTVR on the Quai d'Austerlitz on 24 and 25 October 2026, timed to coincide with Art Basel Paris. The programme runs from noon on the Friday to noon on the Saturday, split into two distinct halves that move from gallery viewing to clubbing. The opening half, titled INFIN.1.IRIDESCENT.STREAM, runs from noon until midnight and centres on a digital art installation by Gerrard accompanied by an original sound composition from Hawtin made with Bronze.ai. Admission is free. The daytime programme also includes a conversation between the two collaborators, moderated by Marc Spiegler, exploring the ideas behind the partnership. The project is executive produced by Martine d'Anglejan-Chatillon and Jim Martin, the same producers behind the duo's earlier Paris installation in 2021. At midnight the format shifts into MINUS+ / SPIRITS, a 12-hour party curated by Hawtin that runs through to noon the following day. The line-up features Hawtin himself alongside Matador, Courtesy, Kristin Velvet and Reece Pritchard. Running alongside the music, Gerrard will present SPIRITS, an art installation and live performance featuring Ana Osj. The work was originally commissioned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art through its Art + Technology Lab and was most recently activated at the museum's summer solstice event earlier this year. The pairing extends a long creative relationship: the two previously produced a large-scale LED installation for the DSMP/3537 space in Paris in 2021, combining an iridescent python simulation with a bespoke techno composition. Placing their latest dialogue inside the calendar of Art Basel Paris week shows how artist-led parties and electronic music programming have become a fixture of the fair-week economy, giving collectors and visitors an alternative format to the fair booth.

