FEAST OR FAMINE

Lien Pham is a Vietnamese artist born in Hanoi who lives and works in Paris. After studying fashion design in Paris and creating numerous clothing pieces, she turned to painting. Lien is presenting her acrylic and mixed media paintings on canvas from 13 March to 15 April 2026 in the town hall of the 6 th  arrondissement of Paris Inspired by her work as a fashion designer and her homeland, her work features tones that are both dark and luminous, reflecting her own personality.   Her collection is a profound reflection on nature and identity, blending classical techniques with bold materials such as acrylic, Indian ink, cotton thread, and gold or silver leaf. Sometimes her paintings give rise to mirages reminiscent of celestial bodies and nature.   A unique artistic signature, characterized by subtle geometric patterns and powerful contrasts, her collection is an ode to nature and introspection. Under the theme of contemplation and identity, the exhibition unfolds around th...

 

From January 9-26, 2026, in the Galerie du Luxembourg at the 6th arrondissement town hall of Paris, Yumiko Seki invites visitors to see Paris in a new light – in the rain. The exhibition is called  Yumiko Seki: Pearled  – ( Yumiko Seki: Perlé ).   Yumiko Seki, born in Tokyo, lives in Paris. Her new artwork series "Perlé" explores the space between the image and its reflection, captured through a pane of glass or a window beaded with raindrops.   Her canvases capture the moment between an image’s sharpness and its blur, offering a vision of Paris under an unstable veil. Through this work, Yumiko Seki reveals the ephemeral beauty of rainy moments, offering a perspective, a contemplation, on the everyday view of the City of Lights.   This exhibition is presented in partnership with the 6th arrondissement's Festival, Cultural and Social Action Committee.

Caught in a Cat Romance  by Airie McCready (2025) is a picture-poetry anthology of cats, specifically the Sphynx and Devon Rex cats – the hairless cats. The photos are stunning and a beautiful accompaniment to the poems.    The 24 cat poems are a delight to read. Examples include “If their souls had a song” –  “Sealed in a Purr” – “A Clock & A Cat – and ”One True North.” Evident in the poems is the ability of the cats to heal a person.  Reading the poem “Cat Medicine” sums up the physical and mental healing of being with a cat: “When I touch your back, my pains slips away. Maybe for a minute, an hour, a day.”   These poems are both personal, reflecting inward, and external, in praise of all the poet’s cats, naked and furred. It’s a wonderful escape to read this anthology. 

  Paws for a Moment  by Zohar Kohavi (2025) is a memoir-type book about the author’s life with his cat, Cato, for 21 years across three continents. The author reflects on daily life, illness, aging, and grief. This pet story is a meditation on love, loss, companionship, and the blurred boundaries between human and animal interactions.    The book is structured as a series of titled prose-poems or micro-essays. Each section can be read on its own but are also interconnected with other sections, copying the way grief and memory circles, doubles back, and resists closure in one’s mind.   I like the way the author doesn’t romanticize the challenges of caring for an aging animal. Instead, he captures the frustration and tenderness. As the author states, “Writing brings him back to life. Revives our relationship. Strums the delicate strings of understanding between us.”    Although this book is intensely personal, it has universal appeal and resonance. The n...

  French artist Thi Tu Anh Mouchet’s exhibition “Portraits of Vietnam” highlights those who were forced to flee Vietnam starting in 1975. Arriving in Paris at the age of 10 with her family, she integrated into French society and became a general practitioner.    Her work as a witness to human interiority led her to portrait art while combining the landscapes and scenes of daily life in Vietnam.    The exhibition is held in the Town Hall of the 6 th  arrondissement in Paris from 3-20 September.