Exercises In Intensity By Freelingwaters At Paris Design Week 2026

Chromatic Alchemy at the Heart of Paris Design Week 2026

Paris Design Week remains the capital of design innovation and artisanal luxury — from immersive tapestry narratives to visionary furniture showcases that blur art and functional sculpture. In this vibrant constellation of creativity, FreelingWaters’ Exercises in Intensity emerges as one of the season’s most compelling contributions, transforming Project Room #22 into a space where color and form converse as equals.

This ethos resonates with how leading luxury narratives unfold globally — similarly to the way Loro Piana Interiors unveiled its 2026 Fabric Collection in Paris Déco Off, embracing material poetics and elemental beauty.

“The dialogue between colour and form becomes the narrative itself.”

At Exercises in Intensity, five pigments — Persian red, Sea green, Light ochre, Light grey, and Dark grey — become protagonists in a breathtaking exploration of visual poetry.

Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Modernism Meets Ornament

A foundational influence on the exhibition, Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943) stands among the giants of multidisciplinary modernism — her work spanning tapestry, sculpture, costume, furniture, and murals. Her philosophy of colour as living force underpins FreelingWaters’ vision and gives Exercises in Intensity its intellectual gravitas. Scholars and art lovers alike will find echoes of modern candidates for luxury in Taeuber-Arp’s sculptural aesthetics, a lineage worth exploring alongside other cultural dialogues — such as Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s fusion of fashion and art.

FreelingWaters: Craft, Colour, and Context

Led by artists Gijs Frieling and Job Wouters, FreelingWaters defies easy categorization. Their practice spans murals, furniture ornamentation, fashion collaborations, and bespoke paintmaking, embodying a rare synthesis of art and craft. In 2024, their collaboration with India Mahdavi on the PoMo museum in Trondheim — ornamenting ceilings and interior surfaces — spoke to their commitment to contextual artistry.

Murals and Modular Storytelling

Beyond individual furniture objects, the exhibition includes full-scale murals in the same bespoke pigments, rendering walls into expansive canvases of chromatic thought. Here, colour transcends decoration to become spatial architecture — a sensorial environment that blurs boundaries between interior and exterior, object and atmosphere.

Exhibition Details

Opening Reception: January 15, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Saturday 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Location: Project Room #22 | 29 Rue de Bellechasse, 75007 Paris