Bonjour à tous et à toutes,
Happy Halloween/ Samhain/ Scorpio season!
I’ve been plugging away at what seems like a sudden explosion of projects — I keep joking, but not, that I throw irons into the fire and forget how many or what ones are there until they’re ready to come out, at which point I’m caught by surprise.
I landed back in Paris at the top of the month with my dutiful, furry companion Louis and felt instantly like I was shot out of a cannon — a quick and spur-of-the-moment trip to London to take some meetings (and schnorr off of a friend’s gorgeous suite at the Peninsula); Art Basel; and a lovely event for Sacred Monster, Vol I all happened one after the other.
I have nothing to say of the current state of the art market — I’m thrilled to play no part in that area of the art world — but the scene in the Grand Palais for the fair was, as per usual, more interesting for the dynamics amongst the visitors and less for the art on the walls. Throw the traveling circus that is the art world into what is, in effect, a greenhouse; make them anxious about who has what VIP/Preview status and access; and sprinkle an unstable global economy into the mix and let the social experiment rip. I somehow went twice in one day (yes, I had VIP/Preview status) and felt like my eyeballs were going to fall out of my skull by the time I left. That said, I enjoyed the displays on show from the Emergence level.
To finish art week, the ladies behind Fvtvrist Magazine hosted a reading event for me at Harvest in Paris’s hipster-chic 11e arrondissement.
I am so appreciative of everyone who showed up, listened to me read, and asked thoughtful questions. For those who missed it, there’s more to come — I have a VERY busy 2026 ahead.
Finally, I — like many others — have been digesting West End Girl, the latest album by Lily Allen. It’s raw and funny and dark, like the rest of her work, which I think has not received enough of its due. Without Lily Allen, we would not have the Taylor Swifts or Olivia Rodrigos or Billie Eilishes that we have today. West End Girl is like an audiobook or opera — it must be listened to in order, as a complete body of work. I also have to give flowers to my sweet and talented friend Blue May, who produced the entire thing. It is lovely to observe him getting the acclaim he deserves.
à la prochaine,
Chloë