Van Cleef & Arpels gave photographer Mika Ninagawa carte blanche to create an exhibition celebrating flowers, with her work presented alongside the Maison’s floral creations. Within an immersive decor designed by architect Tsuyoshi Tane, over a hundred pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels’ patrimony collection and contemporary jewels commune with the Japanese artist’s brightly colored photographs.
On display from September 10 to November 14, 2021 at Hôtel d’Évreux, Place Vendôme, Paris, “Florae” exhibition takes viewers on a dreamlike stroll through an imaginary garden. The exhibition is free entry upon reservation.
Maze and kaleidoscope
To choreograph this artistic dialogue between jewelry and photography, Mika Ninagawa and Van Cleef & Arpels called on architect Tsuyoshi Tane, founder of the ATTA studio in Paris. For “Florae,” he imagined an immersive set design grounded in plays on light and mirrors.
Two main concepts intertwine at the heart of this decor: the kaleidoscope, with its infinite chromatic effects, and the maze, inviting visitors to “get lost” in this dreamlike space. The itinerary comes together thanks to reflective glass walls that, when illuminated, display Mika Ninagawa’s photographs.
The Maison’s creations shine within subtle showcases specially designed to blend into their surroundings, seeming to float in this magnificent garden.
An enchanting garden
Since its founding in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has drawn from nature as an infinite source of inspiration. Flora imparts vitality and poetry into its creations, with precious materials mirroring the endless metamorphoses of the natural world. Mika Ninagawa, a Japanese photographer known for her work on color, shares the Maison’s fascination for flowers, ever striving to capture their beauty and singularity. Dahlias, roses and cherry blossoms come to life in her photographs, their every nuance fervently manifest.
Mika Ninagawa is a photographer and director. Born in Tokyo, Japan, she first came to prominence in the 1990s for her participation in the “Girly Photo” movement, which aimed to chronicle the daily life and attitudes of young Japanese women. Through her brightly colored photographs and her subjects of choice, including flowers and goldfish, Mika Ninagawa seeks to capture the ephemeral beauty of everyday life, encapsulated in fleeting instants.
Mika Ninagawa was introduced to Van Cleef & Arpels in Japan in 2017, and a creative alliance soon ensued. The following year, the Maison offered her the chance to organize an exhibition in Paris centered on flowers, an idea that was to become “Florae.”
"Like me, Van Cleef & Arpels is fascinated by nature’s transformations."
Flowers at L'ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts
To keep up with the universe of flowers, L'ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts, with support from Van Cleef & Arpels, is offfering a rich cultural program composed of conferences for adults and workshops for children.
Discover the Maison's garden of iconic creations through the dedicated nanosite. Naturalist or stylized, in bouquets or alone, flowers sprinkled through Van Cleef & Arpels' centenarian history.
Health Pass
We have applied all the required health measures. Please note that these measures are subject to change before your arrival due to evolutions in the health situation.
The presentation of a health pass is mandatory to access the exhibition. To certify the latter, you must provide - in digital or paper form - one of the elements below:
• A vaccination certificate, provided that you are fully vaccinated;
• A certificate of RT-PCR or negative antigen test of less than 48 hours;
• The result of a positive RT-PCR or antigen test attesting to the recovery from Covid-19, dating of at least 11 days and less than 6 months.
To find out more: https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus/pass-sanitaire
To protect your health and that of those around you, wearing a mask is compulsory in all areas of the exhibition.
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Luck is in sight
