Reference Festival Opens ‘Freie Kunst’ Edition in Paris
All-nighters, installations, and films by FKA Twigs, Donna Huanca, Gabriel Moses, Miles Greenberg, and more.
Summary
REFERENCE FESTIVAL has launched a Paris edition, running from October 19 through 25 parallel to Art Basel Paris
Themed “FREIE KUNST,” the program entails immersive installations, live performances, intimate discussions, and all-night music programming dedicated to porous creative practices and approaches
The festival unfolds across four venues: Dover Street Market Paris, Reference Salon, Silencio, and Institut du Monde Arabe
REFERENCE FESTIVAL first made major headlines as “Berlin’s 24-Hour Fashion Festival.” In the years since its first edition, the German festival has expanded into realms of art, music, and technology, serving as a biannual gathering for some of the most exciting voices in culture.
The festival, run by PR agency Reference Studios, has touched down in France for its first-ever Paris edition, running alongside the ongoing Art Basel from October 22 to 25. Fair week means sorting through hundreds of events, shows, and afters around the city, but if a ritualistic live performance by Michele Lamy or a Fassbinder-inspired collection by GmbH is more your speed, consider adding REFERENCE to your calendar.
Since launching in 2019, the festival has gained a global rep for its eclectic programming and embrace of experimental creative approaches. This year’s edition, titled “FREIE KUNST,” takes after the German phrase for “free art” or “fine art,” and takes the studio’s commitments to creative fluidity one step further.
The 2026 festival features a stacked schedule of live installations, intimate discussions, film screenings, and club nights, bringing together voices across disciplines to “consider the conjunction of freedom and creativity today,” said Mumi Haïati, Reference’s founder. “This is what our studio has been about since day one, and now we are bringing the entire scope of our network together for this meeting of minds around the idea of radical and unhinged exchange of ideas.”
Reference Festival 2022 / Courtesy Of The Artists And Reference Studios
Reference Festival 2022 / Courtesy Of The Artists And Reference Studios
Reference Festival 2022 / Courtesy Of The Artists And Reference Studios
The program unfolds across several locations — Dover Street Market Paris, Reference Salon, Silencio, and Institut du Monde Arabe — kicking off with an art-filled Open House at DSM Paris and an after-party for Jordan Firstman’s debut feature, CLUB KID, at the David Lynch-envisioned space early on in the week.
A starry slate of panels and salon-style fireside conversations will also crop up throughout the week, featuring the likes of Klaus Biesenbach, Chris Dercon, Isamaya Ffrench, Sky Gellatly, Dozie Kanu, Tariq Krim, Chris Kulendran Thomas, Bettina Milz, Benjamin Paulin, Johannes Schön, Miles Greenberg and more.
Highlights include a 24-hour experience curated by John Gerrard and Richie Hawkin, alongside Institut du Monde Arabe’s full days of live performances, music, and artworks. Immersive pieces by EARTHEATHER and Josh Johnson set the tone for an all-night club program on Friday, and a series of installations by Donna Huanca, Kanu, Gabriel Moses, Kolya Nemoi and Bjarne Melgaard will also be on view.
A film screening with FKA Twigs and director Jordan Hemingway will close out the festival on October 25, followed by a conversation with Twigs and Bettina Milz, produced in collaboration with Arte.
“We wanted a space that doesn’t ask anyone to stay in their lane,” Haïati continued. “For us, freedom is a question mark, particularly in this moment, but also an imperative behind the work that we do.” REFERENCE FESTIVAL has commenced in Paris. Check out the flyers below for more details on the full program.
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