I’ve been trying to answer to the question I’ve been asked a lot recently, which is,
How was Paris?
How is Paris? As in, how is Paris even real?
Paris is itself, a work of art.
Paris is being inside of a choose your own adventure novel.
Paris is a box of chocolates, every chocolate uniquely delicious — the best one you’ve ever had —- and the next one even better than the last.
If you know what is good for you —
You should really go to Paris.
To experience the city is to walk in something brimming with thought, symbol, iconography, history, and romance. From the locks on the bridges where lovers have thrown keys into the Seine, to delicate details of each carefully created pastry, to the sparking Eiffel Tower at night, the city is a warm embrace between delight and elegance.
From November 4to to 10th 2025, my teenage daughter and I spent five days in this enchanting place.
While life throws its unfair share of curveballs, some things seem to fall together at the right time. This trip was one of those experiences. Brimming with excitement as the days of departure drew near, I wondered if Paris would not live up to the expectations that were building with each encounter I had with friends who have visited.
Whether it was fifteen years ago, or two weeks ago, they all seemed to say the same thing:
“Go! You will absolutely love it.”
A common tip they all gave was not to overbook timed visits at museums. They all told me to make room for the whimsical surprises that Paris would hold around every one of her corners.
We landed with heads full of dreams. Full of plans and directions, glued to my phone wanting to make sure we navigated the city and used our short time there well, it was my thirteen year old daughter that had her head up and eyes open, and many times, led us into the world of contemporary art.
This was such a delightful surprise to experience - being led by her into the world I love and am endlessly inspired by.
The first gallery experience was an exhibition at the Grand Palace. Setting off to Musee Orangerie in hopes of showing her the Water Lilies by Monet, we encountered the usual long line outside the museum. Off in the distance, the striking glass ceiling of the Grand Palais caught her eye. We decided to forget the line for the time being, and head towards the glass ceiling with the French flag beckoning us from a distance.
The Grand Palais was built in 1900 for an international expo, welcoming inventors and artists from around the world.
As we walked, the Eiffel Tower loomed large to our left, and a grand traffic circle with statues all around us seemed to suggest we were continuing into a historic area of the city (then again, what area of the city is not historic?)
Since the time when it was used to welcome inventors, artists, and spectators from around the world, the Grand Palais has been repurposed into a welcoming space for anyone, and given the grey skies and rain that day, it was the perfect spot for us to explore indoors, away from the steady November drizzle.
During our visit, there was a contemporary art show of three experimental artists. Seeing the poster for the show, my daughter pleaded to check it out. Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and Pontus Hulten used found objects to make sculptural works, and often works that move and make delightful, quirky noises. (My daughter said the sculptures/inventions reminded her of Wallace and Gromit). Niki de Saint Phalle was an experimental artist who filled the world with immensely bright sculptures of people, often female forms, and animals. Her bold colours and creative interpretations of form remind me a lot of Neck Chand’s masterful sculptural works.
paper mache sculpture by Nikke De Saint Phalle
Other artists’ works we were delighted to encounter were at the Tokyo Palace, a hub for contemporary art that we found by complete mistake. Having spent hours navigating the metro system to Versailles (a feat that is not for the faint of heart), we took the bus back to a neighbourhood near the Eiffel Tower in anticipation of an intimate classical music experience scheduled for 8 pm. We experienced some metro system interruptions, and thought it would be better to head to the venue and find something to do nearby for a while. Well, find something to do, we did!
We got off the bus around six thirty pm, knowing we were a three minute walk from our eight pm venue. A large building with the name “Tokyo Palace” was the first that came into sight.
“Mom, this is a museum of contemporary art!” My daughter observed while enthusiastically heading towards the doors.
We walked into the large black building to find the place full with people enjoying tasty dinner at the lobby cafe. After scarfing down our own meal — delicious mushroom risotto for me, and impeccably crafted lasagna for her, one large show invitation in particular was calling to us.
“Echo, Delay, Reverb” American Art, Francophone Thought
Curated by Naomi Beckworth, with works by Amy Sillman, Julie Mehretu, Felix Gonzalez- Torres, among a host of other artists*
“Heavier than Air (written form)” Julie Meheretu
This immensely dense show in both thought and works was overwhelming to try to take in within a short amount of time. Seeing an original piece by Julie Meheretu was such an incredible surprise. One of my favourite artists living and working in our era, I find her works and her art practice very compelling.
The building was vast, the works intricate, soulful, and engaging. As the name of the show suggests, the installations seemed to express a wide array of thoughts and ideas. A true representation of thinking out loud, the works were poignantly executed, provocative and intimate, like wandering through a large, complex mind made up of well formed thoughts about justice, visibility, and hope.
As we continued on our trip, more surprises did, indeed await us. Walking towards a bus stop, my daughter looked over and noticed a pop up contemporary art show including engaging, interactive works by a host of artists inspired by urban aesthetics. Included were largescale paper works by the illustrator collective Icinori. In all exhibitions we saw, I was struck by the unique ways art was being displayed. The creativity was not just in the making, but in the work’s unique interaction with the space. The work wasn’t on the wall, it was a wall to walk through. It was a house filled with swirling feathers. It was a tide of canvas in the shape of a wave rolling towards me.
Largescale drawings by Icinori
Throughout all of Paris, I was touched by how engaging the art galleries were for people of all ages, abilities, and walks of life. To be honest, I expected such a famous art hub to be more pretentious, and I subconsciously avoided this thinking the contemporary would be intimidating. Every time we visited these galleries, it was my daughter leading us, asking me to go inside. To my surprise, the spaces were engaging, inspiring, and welcoming. Not intimidating in the least. I’m a big believer that the coolest people are actually warm, and while I can’t say this of every experience we had in Paris, I definitely found this to be true in the authenticity radiating through the contemporary works I encountered from artists all around the world.
“Zone of Nonbeing” by Char Jere´
Since returning to Canada, I’ve spent time reflecting on our experiences with a few friends. With one friend, we observed that Paris is a city that defines blink and you’ll miss it. When you go to Paris, (and you will go to Paris, because you must go to Paris), all these shows I’ve described will no longer be there. The artists will be showing their works in another city that will no doubt be grateful to have them. Sure, the mainstay art museums will be there, and they are wonderful in their own right.
But if I, and my friends are right (and trust me, we generally are) — something is there, waiting for you.
I can’t tell you what it is, but I have no doubt it will fill you with delight, giving you the most creative responses to one of the very best questions—
“How was Paris?”
With works by Allora & Calzadilla, Laurie Anderson, Siah *Artists in Echo, Delay, Reverb include Armajani, Firelei Báez, Lynda Benglis, Tom Burr, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Paul Chan, Jimmy DeSana, Vivienne Dick, Mark Dion, Torkwase Dyson, Hal Fischer, Andrea Fraser, Coco Fusco, Charles Gaines, Ellen Gallagher, Andrea Geyer, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Dan Graham, Renée Green, Adler Guerrier, Hans Haacke, David Hammons, K8 Hardy, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Sky Hopinka, Juliana Huxtable, Char Jeré, Joan Jonas, Mike Kelley, Mary Kelly, Caroline Kent, Glenn Ligon, James Luna, Tala Madani, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Julie Mehretu, Meleko Mokgosi, Wangechi Mutu, Lorraine O’Grady, Pope.L, Walid Raad, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Martha Rosler, Cameron Rowland, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Allan Sekula, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Cindy Sherman, Amy Sillman, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Oscar Tuazon, Fred Wilson, Cici Wu and Anicka Yi.