COUCOU BEBE’s Fake Exhibition Was the Realest Thing in Paris
by Adriano Batista
While Art Paris filled the city with polished galleries and predictable openings, COUCOU BEBE pulled off something quieter and far more interesting—a fake exhibition that said more about art than most real ones.
From April 3 to 6, 2025, the artist staged a show designed to mimic the tired formula of small Parisian galleries: AI-generated works, thrown together just before opening night, served up like reheated leftovers. The pieces were forgettable by design, the kind of thing people glance at while sipping free wine on a Thursday night. But the joke had a point—it made visitors question why they were there in the first place.
The images on display felt unstable, like they might dissolve if you stared too long. Was this art? A prank? A critique of how easily we accept what galleries feed us? The confusion was the whole idea. COUCOU BEBE didn’t just mock the system; they made it impossible to ignore how little we sometimes demand from it.
Ironically, the “fake” exhibition sparked more real conversation than most shows do. By stripping away pretenses, it forced people to confront what they actually want from art—and whether they’re getting it.
Curated by F. Delétrain, the project blurred the line between joke and critique. It was a stunt but also a mirror. And for those who walked in expecting nothing, it gave them something to think about long after the free drinks ran out.
Check it out below:
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COUCOU BEBE’s Fake Exhibition Was the Realest Thing in Paris
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