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Paola Pivi’s Oversized Inflatable Ladder Transforms Grand Palais, Paris.
Untitled (project for Echigo-Tsumari) by Paola Pivi is a large inflatable ladder, more than 20 meters long, leaning against the Grand Palais in Paris. Brightly colored and oversized, the piece is part of Euphoria: Art is in the Air, a new exhibition by the Balloon Museum marking the long-awaited reopening of the Grand Palais.
On view until September 7th, 2026, the work injects the historic space with color and playful tension.
The ladder was first shown in 2015 in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. Now it reappears outside the restored Grand Palais, disrupting its classical symmetry as a towering, surreal object.
Instead of function, the ladder offers metaphor. Viewers aren’t invited to climb but to imagine, to feel lifted through its strange scale and vivid color. It unsettles logic, opening space for reflection and emotional response.
Pivi is known for reshaping the familiar. She often alters objects or environments through shifts in scale and meaning. Ladders, airplanes, these motifs lose their usual roles and gain new emotional or visual weight. In this work, she replaces utility with wonder, shifting focus from gravity to possibility.
Curated by Valentino Catricalà with Antonella Di Lullo, Euphoria features 20 inflatable and immersive works from international artists including Philippe Parreno, Camille Walala, Ryan Gander, Martin Creed, and Pivi. The exhibition invites public interaction and offers a new creative energy to the reimagined Grand Palais. Two more major works will be unveiled later in the run, adding to the evolving nature of the show.
