Pierre Allain
Pierre Allain (b. 1998, Nantes) is based in Paris.
Allain’s work examines how systems designed for control can also register vulnerability and states of psychological or physical strain. Drawing on materials and devices associated with medical and industrial contexts, he investigates anticipation, disorientation, and heightened attention. His works often withhold direct access, focusing instead on the subtle ways in which perception and emotion are negotiated through material form.
Recent exhibitions include Petrine, Paris (2026), Petrine, Düsseldorf (2025); 15th Kaunas Biennale (2025); Diana, Milan (2025); No Name, Paris (2025); CAPC, Musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux (2024); Cherry Hill, Cologne (2024); Petrine, Paris (2023); Frac Île-de-France, Romainville (2023); Frappant e.V., Hamburg (2023); 67e Salon de Montrouge (2023); Galerie Tator, Lyon (2023); CAP Saint-Fons, Saint-Fons (2022); Kunstverein Bielefeld, Bielefeld (2022).
Press: L'Essenziale Studio
Exhibitions with Petrine:
Pierre Allain
Chamber (I), 2026
sound deadening coating, paint, steel, table
53 x 106 x 0.8 cm / 60 x 120 x 75 cm
Installation view: Petrine, Paris (2026)
Pierre Allain
Coda, 2026
loudspeaker system, sound
07:00:00
Performance by Michel Frechina; recording and mixing by Maximilien Dudemaine at Sodasound, Paris; scored by Pierre Allain and produced by the Fondation des Artistes.
Installation view: Petrine, Paris (2026)
Pierre Allain
Self-diagnosis (XXI), 2025
graphite and pencil on paper
38.5 x 48.5 cm
Installation view: Petrine, Düsseldorf (2025)
Pierre Allain
Rehearsal, 2024
cabinet, acoustic carpet, speaker, amplifier, sound
185 × 110 × 45 cm
Installation view: 15th Kaunas Biennial (2025)
Pierre Allain
Untitled, 2025
electropolished stainless steel, table
70 × 140 × 75 cm
Installation view: Diana, Milan (2025)
Pierre Allain
Induction (60900 minutes), 2024
audio, 04:41 minutes, loop
Installation view: CAPC, Musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux (2024)
Pierre Allain
Self-diagnosis (X), 2024
pencil on paper
34 × 47 cm
Installation view: Cherry Hill, Cologne (2024)
Pierre Allain
Skin, 2023
privacy window film, indefinite period of time
dimensions variable
Installation view: Petrine, Paris (2023)
Pierre Allain
Self-Monitoring (I), 2023
apromud P150, aproflox, stainless steel, screws
45 × 84.5 × 5.2 cm
Installation view: Petrine, Paris (2023)
Pierre Allain
Tip of my tongue, 2022
intercom, speaker, sound
40:52 minutes, loop
49.3 cm × 15.5 cm
Installation view: CAP Saint-Fons, Sain-Fons (2022)
Pierre Allain
Emotional Curative Maintenance (I-V), 2022
door plates, stainless steel, screws
Installation view: Kunstverein, Bielefeld (2022)
