in

Guerlain’s Flower-Themed Paris Art Show Is a Surprisingly Sensual Look at Nature. See It Here

Some may have questioned whether flowers could still be a relevant motif in contemporary art today after some major floral artworks failed to please certain critics at Frieze London recently. But a certain thoughtfully curated flower-themed art exhibition staged by a historic perfume and beauty brand in Paris may go a certain way toward restoring faith in the colorful blooms as among the most enigmatic and provocative subject for artists from around the world.

Curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, a curator and art consultant based in Paris, the exhibition “Les Fleurs du Mal” (“The Flowers of Evil”), which pays homage to the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, is a delightful surprise. It sheds a new light on the beauty of flowers and floral artworks, and the ways they represent the fragility and sensuality of human nature and emotions.

Opened during the week of Paris+ by Art Basel across three floors of Maison Guerlain, the historic boutique of the eponymous 195-year-old florist, perfume, and skincare house on Avenue des Champs-Elysées, the exhibition features works by 26 international artists. They come in a range of media—from paintings and sculptures to photography and installations—and there’s no lack of compelling, memorable pieces.

(2022), by the Madagascar-born Joël Andrianomearisoa, for example, is a site-specific sound installation featuring 42 metallic sculptural roses in a dark room filled with the vocals of Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra and Guerlain’s fragrance Épices volées.

A pair of rose sculptures by the Tel Avivbased Roni Landa may look ordinary at first glance, but it gives a jolt when the viewer realizes how erotic it is. There are also highly symbolic photographic works by the famed Japanese artist and photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and Chinese artist Jiang Zhi, and a rare 2012 watercolor by Anselm Kiefer that is vastly different from the heavy, monumental works for which the artist is better known.

The exhibition’s opening also coincided with the launch of the Lee Ufan Arles and Maison Guerlain Art and Environment Prize. A jury presided over by the Korean-born artist handpicked the French artist Djabril Boukhenaïssi as the winner and four other finalists among the 381 applications. Boukhenaïssi will be awarded a six- to eight-week residency opportunity followed by a solo exhibition in the Espace MA of Lee Ufan Arles in summer 2024.

“Les Fleurs du Mal” runs until November 13. Below are some of the highlights from the exhibition.

Jiang Zhi, Love letter no. 25 (2014). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Roni Landa, Rose Labia (2023). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Roni Landa, Flora Erecta (2023). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Nobuyoshi Araki, Sans titre. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Mennour. Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Anselm Kiefer, Extases féminines–Margherite Porete (2012). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Pauline d’Andigné, Flowers (2023). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Duy Anh Nhan Duc, Constellation (2019). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Roses et Matisse (2023). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

Mykola Tolmachev, Dégel (no 1) (2023). Installation view, “Les Fleurs du Mal” at Maison Guerlain. Photo by Tomy Do.

More Trending Stories:  

The World’s Most Popular Painter Sent His Followers After Me Because He Didn’t Like a Review of His Work. Here’s What I Learned 

Archaeologists Excavating the Tomb of Egypt’s First Female Pharaoh Found Hundreds of Jars Still Holding Remnants of Wine 

The Second Paris+ Started With a Bang. Could Art Basel’s New Venture Unseat Its Flagship Fair One Day? 

Is There a UFO in That Renaissance Painting? See 7 Historical Artworks That (Possibly) Depict Close Encounters With the Third Kind 

A Glasgow Museum Reveals a $3.7 Million Rodin Sculpture Has Been Missing From Its Collection for Nearly 75 Years 

What I Buy and Why: Art Entrepreneur Hélène Nguyen-Ban on Her Original ‘Art Crush’ and Owning a Half-Ton Book by Anselm Kiefer 

Christie’s 20th/21st Century Evening Sale Notches Steady Results, a Feat in the Current Tepid Art Market 

Four ‘Excellently Preserved’ Ancient Roman Swords Have Been Found in the Judean Desert 

An Early Edition of an ‘Unhinged’ Christopher Columbus Letter Outlining What He Discovered in America Could Fetch $1.5 Million at Auction 


Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com


Tagcloud:

A Contested Artifact Suggests Jesus Had a Brother. It’s Now at the Center of an Immersive Biblical Exhibition in Texas

Thin Strips of Colorful Vinyl Spill Over Derrick Velasquez’s Wooden Sculptures