French artist Laure Prouvost has commandeered the Grand Palais' soaring nave in Paris with "We Felt a Star Dying," a sprawling multimedia installation that runs through July 26, 2026. The exhibition transforms the historic venue's iconic glass-roofed interior into a quantum-inspired immersive environment that blurs the boundaries between sculpture, video, and sensory experience.
Prouvost, known for her genre-defying work that merges film, installation, and conceptual practice, has populated the nave with several key pieces. "The Beginning," a monumental sculpture, anchors the space, while "Cute Bits" introduces meteorite-like forms that invite tactile engagement. These physical objects exist in dialogue with immersive video environments that envelope visitors in layered audiovisual atmospheres.
The installation's thematic core examines cosmic collapse and celestial loss. Rather than approaching the subject through traditional documentary representation, Prouvost deploys her characteristic poetic language to render abstract concepts tangible. The work operates across multiple sensory registers, demanding that visitors move through space with heightened awareness.
This takeover represents a significant institutional validation for Prouvost, whose practice has long occupied the intersection of contemporary art, cinema, and literature. Previous exhibitions at venues including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Venice Biennale established her as a major figure in contemporary installation practice. Her work frequently incorporates non-linear narrative structures and layered temporal frameworks that challenge viewer passivity.
The Grand Palais provides an ideal setting for this ambition. The venue's architectural grandeur, particularly its iron-and-glass Belle Époque design, creates natural tension with Prouvost's ethereal, digitally-inflected aesthetics. This spatial dialogue between heritage venue and contemporary practice positions "We Felt a Star Dying" as both a personal statement and institutional commentary on how museums stage experience in the contemporary moment.