All is in order: the offbeat exhibition at the Swedish Institute for Paris Design Week - our photos

Like every year at this time, the Swedish Institute is taking part in Paris Design Week. The program? Ten days of festival showcasing new concept stores, window-dressing displays, designer encounters, festive events, as well as exhibitions and installations.

After last year put five Scandinavian glass-art specialists in the limelight, the Swedish Institute now turns its attention to a shared sense of order—this common view of organization, rules, and the social harmony embraced by a group. Through this new installation, titled “Tout est en ordre,” the Nordic cultural center in the Marais district of Paris aims to reveal how these norms shape bodies, behaviors, and imaginaries.

From September 2 to October 4, 2026, the Swedish Institute will display an array of silhouettes and sculptures “staging familiar figures who never quite fit in.”

As we step into the striking Hôtel de Marle, home to the Swedish Institute, we spot on our right a suspended mannequin, spinning slowly on its own axis. We then head to the room on the first floor where about twenty reassembled mannequins with blurred identities are on display. Standing, lying down, or perched on old wooden wardrobes, these figures seem to be watching us.

We’re immediately struck by the originality of the staging, with mannequins sporting quirky accessories—from a cane arm and a vacuum hose to a wooden leg with a deer hoof, a crutch, a leash attached to a deer-dog, and even a boar’s head.

• To be read
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• This week's top picks for Paris and the Île-de-France region, August 31–September 6, 2026

But these mannequins also wear highly specific outfits, drawn from several generations of designers, including Hodakova and Per Götesson. The Scandinavian designer presents for the occasion a top, a crown, a brooch, and a pair of leggings. "Everything is in order" also showcases works by renowned designer-artists, such as Anton Alvarez and Anna Uddenberg.

The exhibition, offbeat and whimsical, blends art and fashion. But here, art disrupts fashion, blocks silhouettes and creates friction. Original and surprising, the installation "Everything is in order" will no doubt make you smile, but also prompt reflection on fashion that is no longer treated as a product.

Note that the various mannequins on display for the occasion make the exhibition space feel even smaller. So watch where you step. If you're planning to follow the Paris Design Week circuit, this free exhibition at the Swedish Institute is certainly one of the must-see stops!