From Thursday 29 January to Saturday 28 February 2026, FRENCH PLACE is proud to present its inaugural exhibition CORALE, with works by Xolo Cuintle, Nina Davies, Anna De Castro Barbosa, Francesca Frigerio,Steph Huang, Cecilia Mentasti, Mountaincutters, Matthias Odin, Marco Siciliano, Riley Tu, Gaspar Willmann, Rafał Zajko, Luis Enrique Zela- Koort.
The exhibition marks the opening of the space in Milan and sets out its curatorial vision grounded in polyphony, relation, and shared forms of collectivity.
In addition to the show, from Thursday 29 January to Wednesday 11 February 2026, FRENCH PLACE launches the first iteration of its video programme with two single-channel video works by Riley Tu, exploring body politics, self- representation, and algorithmic resistance within digital spaces. From Thursday 12 February to Thursday 12 March 2026, the first artist residency will kick off with Matthias Odin, marking the start of the organisation’s residency programme focused on process-based practice and critical engagement.
In Italian, CORALE carries a meaning that extends beyond music. In addition to referring to choral composition, it denotes something collective, shared, unanimous. This semantic nuance does not translate into English: choral remains bound to singing, while chorale evokes a specific musical tradition, the Lutheran one, exemplified by Bach’s chorales. The show emerges precisely within this linguistic gap, adopting it as a productive space in which plurality, friction, and resonance can coexist without collapsing into unity.
The exhibition draws inspiration from When I Sing, the Mountains Dance by Irene Solà, a novel structured as a constellation of voices—human and non-human, living and spectral—woven into a fragmented yet cohesive narrative. In musical terms, it recalls the idea that what begins as cacophony may gradually form a fragile harmony: a metaphor for systems of meaning that find coherence not through homogeneity, but through dissonance and proximity. This approach resonates with Édouard Glissant’s concept of Relation and his échos-mondes: worlds that vibrate through multiplicity, where identity is articulated through relation rather than transparency.
The author’s right to opacity—the claim that identities and subjectivities do not need to be entirely legible in order to enter into relation—becomes a central curatorial approach preserving difference without demanding translation. The artists brought together in CORALE operate within a polyphonic condition. Their practices engage with urgent questions of the present while resisting aesthetic or ideological homogeneity. What connects them is not a shared language or medium, but a shared critical resonance. CORALE thus functions as a listening device—a curatorial architecture attentive to opacity, multiplicity, and vibration. Conceived through a commitment to simultaneity rather than progression, the exhibition unfolds as a shared field where voices coexist without hierarchy or resolution. Difference is not smoothed over but held in tension, allowing fragmentation, rhythm, and relational forms of making to generate a fragile yet productive equilibrium.
FRENCH PLACE is an artistic organisation and an incubator for critical contemporary practices.
Operating as a proto-institution—positioned between an art foundation and a gallery—it supports experimentation, fosters exchange, and provides time and space for collaboration. FRENCH PLACE originated as an independent exhibition space in London, with the aim of creating dialogue between artists, galleries, and audiences. What emerged was a community shaped by curiosity and a shared commitment to supporting artists and cultural practitioners through collaboration and dialogue.
As the programme developed over four years, the need for a structure capable of supporting its evolution became evident. The opening of FRENCH PLACE in Milan represents the next step in this trajectory. The name, inherited from the original location at 9 French Place in London, remains as a sign of continuity and a reminder that the identity of the project is shaped as much by people as by place.
For this new chapter, FRENCH PLACE envisions a space dedicated to relationships, research, and critical discourse—shaped by individuals who share a sense of collective cultural responsibility. A space where artists can experiment with confidence, where audiences can encounter works without imposed, singular readings, and where conversations can unfold across disciplines and communities.
The programme will include exhibitions, an artist residency, and research initiatives supporting sustained engagement with contemporary practice. FRENCH PLACE operates through a circular model, in which gallery proceeds support the public programme, mentoring activities, residencies, and research.