Oct 30

Oct 30 Reference Festival Brings FREIE KUNST to Paris

Mumi Haiati started Reference Festival in 2019 in a parking lot in Neukölln. Seven years later the Berlin gathering travels, and from 20 to 25 October 2026 it set up in Paris for the first time, in step with Art Basel Paris. The title, FREIE KUNST, translates as free art. The concept premiered a month earlier at Watergate during Berlin Art Week, on the night Maurizio Cattelan opened his solo show at the Neue Nationalgalerie, with a Silencio pop-up and dog tags designed by Cattelan for the occasion.

Paris opened on Tuesday at Silencio with a party for CLUB KID, the directorial debut of actor and filmmaker Jordan Firstman, with DJ sets by Michel Gaubert, Betsy Johnson, Mina Galan and wordofcommand. On Thursday the Reference Salon on the left bank hosted a closed-door think tank: Flora Weil of P.INC set the first questions, and Marc Spiegler steered the room through storytelling and authorship. Across town, Munky of Korn paused the band's tour for a meet and greet at Dover Street Market, with merchandise designed by Bjarne Melgaard and Kolya Nemoi.

Friday brought the talks back to Silencio. Chris Dercon of Fondation Cartier and Bettina Milz of the upcoming Pina Bausch Centre spoke about building institutions that serve their communities over generations. Monica Bonvicini traced the politics of her work through club subcultures, feminism and the life of the city. Klaus Biesenbach and Miles Greenberg compared influences and early turning points, while Ramdane Touhami of Officine Universelle Buly and Johannes Schoen of Bocci debated what scale means in design and business. Curatorial board members Victoria Camblin, Nicholas Korody and Marc Spiegler shaped and moderated each session.

The Institut du Monde Arabe hosted the live program. Gabriel Moses screened a film, Donna Huanca built an ice installation made to melt away, and the artist Wombat installed a monumental frieze. Choreographer Josh Johnson performed with pianist Precious Renee Tucker and saxophonist Tapiwa Svosve. Eartheater sang among 3D-printed Grecian urns made for the night, Blackhaine gave a raw, physical live set, and Bobby Beethoven and Eartheater closed with DJ sets.

Saturday belonged to John Gerrard and Richie Hawtin. Their 24-hour program opened at the Institut du Monde Arabe with a conversation moderated by Spiegler. From noon to midnight, Gerrard's digital installation INFIN.1.IRIDESCENT.STREAM ran with an original score by Plastikman and Bronze.ai. At midnight Hawtin took over with MINUS+ / SPIRITS until 6am, and the afterparty at Silencio kept going until midday Sunday.

On Sunday FKA Twigs screened her documentary Body High, followed by a talk with Bettina Milz and her co-creative director Jordan Hemingway. A dancer and a drummer from her team joined them on stage, and the session ended with an open Q&A, with Michèle Lamy, Etienne Russo and Institut du Monde Arabe President Anne-Claire Legendre in the audience.

Across the week, a panel could lead straight into a club night, and the audience followed the program from one venue to the next. Supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, FREIE KUNST now heads to Wuppertal for its next chapter.