A consideration of the rich and multifaceted lives of women has long shaped Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu, a curiosity that takes shape in both fashion and culture. In 2024, this philosophy was cemented when Miu Miu became the official partner of Art Basel Paris' public programme, with the partnership uniting a host of creatives, from artists to performers and musicians. The programme debuted with Tales & Tellers, by artist Goshka Macuga, and was followed in 2025 with 30 Blizzards, by artist Helen Marten.
For the third year of the partnership, at Art Basel Paris 2026, Miuccia Prada invited French filmmaker Alice Diop to take the reins, with the presentation of a major project at the Palais d'Iéna HQ of France's Economic, Social and Environmental Council in Paris – which is also the site of Miu Miu's runway shows. For the occasion, Diop is presenting Geste de Consolation (Gesture of Consolation), which builds on themes that Diop introduced in her 2025 film Fragments for Venus for Miu Miu's anthology series Women's Tales.
‘I'd like the viewer to feel connected to this singular way of looking at the world, that has been developed by the violence that Black women have been subjected to’
Alice Diop
For Diop, who for the first time takes on the role of artist-curator, it is an opportunity to broaden a practice which, to date, has encompassed directing and screenwriting.
‘When Miuccia Prada came to me and offered me this opportunity to create a video installation, I was both surprised and intimidated by the trust she placed in me, to do something I'd never done before,' says Diop. ‘But I have learned to trust women who trust me.'
The works in the space are a celebration of Black female creativity, highlighting a thread that has run throughout Diop's work. Now, she gathers the female artists whom she admires, across a prism of mediums and practices, taking visitors on a scenographic journey to discover their work across four connecting spaces. ‘I have invited Black women artists who have helped me over the years to create, and helped to heal and repair me, not only as an artist but as a Black woman. They have considered the way that we have been building ourselves as Black women, due to the need of having to dissociate because of the fetishising gaze.'
Those involved include American artist Simone Leigh, who will present the vast bronze, Sentinel (Mami Wata), an elegant female form cradled by a serpent. ‘Her work has inspired me for years now and has really helped me to grow,' says Diop. Also included is photography from South African artist Zanele Muholi and performances from Ivorian choreographer Nadia Beugré's Prophétique, as well as American composer and musician Angel Bat Dawid with her ensemble, Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty. Visitors will also enjoy a generously stocked library filled with the books that have inspired Diop.
‘At the very beginning, perhaps because I was intimidated by what I was being asked to do, I had no plans to make a work myself,' says Diop. ‘I think the first thing I said was that I was willing to think about an installation, but only from a curatorial point of view. But I was so impressed by the speed and the grace with which these women responded to my invitation, that I felt it was impossible for me not to ask questions of my own discipline, which is film.'
The resulting two-screen video installation unites archival footage from the early to mid-20th century, sourced from so-called ‘scientific expeditions' and private archives. Consisting of both violent imagery, and imagery that has consoled Diop, the installation examines how these have shaped her as a filmmaker. ‘The installation is really a genealogy of my own gaze, in which I've gathered all the images that I have constructed in my own way,' says Diop.
She hopes to take visitors on an emotional journey, through the subjectivity of a Black woman in the 20th century. ‘I'd like the viewer to feel connected to this singular way of looking at the world, that has been developed by the violence that Black women have been subjected to. To also consider the strength and resistance that Black women have developed, through what we have had to resist and survive.'
‘Geste de Consolation' is on show from 21-25 October at Palais d'Iéna, Paris, artbasel.com, miumiu.com
A version of this article appears in the November 2026 Art Issue of Wallpaper*, available from 8 October in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today