Nilufar collaborates with MODES to present art installations during Paris Art Week

Paris is abuzz with a series of contemporary art and design shows this October. Held annually in the fourth week of October, Paris Art Week witnesses a potpourri of artistic creations, from stalwarts in the industry to up-and-coming artists. A major creative event of the art and design calendar, it transforms the streets of the French capital into a riot of colours. In the midst of this celebration of art and design, Nilufar Gallery announced its collaboration with MODES, a global omnichannel luxury brand. To mark this special announcement, Nilufar Gallery’s founder Nina Yashar curated a presentation at the MODES showroom in Paris, France from 20 to 25 October 2022. A selection of collectable design pieces from the French design gallery—picked by Yashar— complemented the products by MODES at the latter’s showroom.

“These are reflections of diverse and multiple visions, ideas and understanding of contemporary design. To complement MODES’ offering, I selected artists whose creative outputs are as aesthetically appealing as rich in material research and creative extravaganza. I am thrilled about this new collaboration, as I’ve always admired MODES’ taste and recognition of contemporary avant-garde style,” stated Yashar. The designers whose works were on display at the MODES showroom include Audrey Large, Amy Lowry, Anestis Michalis, Bethan Laura Wood, EDXXKAT, Flavie Audi, Gio Ponti, Jonathan Trayte, Martino Gamper, and Studio Nucleo. Their creations are also available in the ‘Pop-up’ section on MODES’ online platform for viewing and purchase.

The presentation reaffirmed Nilufar Gallery's understanding of the intrinsic connection binding the fashion and design industries, contexted with a commitment to work together to strengthen ties between the myriad forms of contemporary arts. Yashar’s presentation embodies her perception of fashion and design, and the analogy that she links them with. Fashion and design are entities that reflect and define one's distinctive taste—of oneself and in one's home. The arrangement of objects from both these realms in the MODES showroom was seamless. At first glance, it was difficult to point out the category each object sat under. The design elements were chosen to complement the tones of the boutique's surroundings, creating a fusion of sorts. Using the same curatorial strategy, some of Nilufar's works were incorporated as ornamental elements and others as functional objects for the area.

“MODES is a constantly evolving platform where all visual arts meet to give shape to an expression of contemporaneity. The new collaboration with Nilufar seals mutual admiration and the sharing of values such as the perpetual search for novelty and the support of creativity. It is an honour to be present during Paris Art Week with the launch of such an important project, which signals a further development in MODES' digital reality and affirms MODES Paris' identity as a discovery hub for our audience,” said Aldo Carpinteri, Founder & CEO of MODES.

While the virtual installation Scale to Infinity by Netherlands-based French designer Audrey Large presented digitally sculpted prototypes at the MODES showroom, American designer Amy Lowry’s surreal ceramics, tiles, glass, and vintage Staffordshire bone China flowers drew focus to the themes of endangerment of nature and climate. Athens-based visual artist Anestis Michalis’s organic ceramic pieces encapsulated the power of clay as an intelligent and cerebral material and Bethan Laura Wood’s bejewelled furniture reflected the designer’s eccentricity to the best. Another sculptural art piece on display at the design exhibition was London-based glass artist Flavie Audi’s Terra (In)firma, which bears semblance to the appearance of geological entities found in untouched corners of earth.

Evocative projects such as The Alien Chair by Katy Pititskaya and Eduard Eremchuk of EDXXKAT also dotted MODES’ space. The Alien Chair was envisioned by the designers as a hypothetical being from another world and is a product of the designer duo’s imagination of an alien object from a foreign galaxy. The shape of the chair suggests possible levitation. Italian artist Martino Gamper’s Innesto (Rubbing up the wrong tree) drew focus toward the practice of grafting through table design. Twisting and turning, beginning and ending abruptly, the legs of the tables highlight the difference that grafting brings to the natural growth of trees and plants.

Jonathan Trayte, based in the United Kingdom, presented through his sculptures and furniture, a commentary on the behaviour of the modern consumer. Through myriad materials and processes, he explored and presented the psychology of desire through different surfaces, colours, and materials. On the other hand, Studio Nucleo, a collective of artists and designers headed by Piergiorgio Robino in Turin, Italy, presented their latest project Colour Lenses. Designed exclusively for Nilufar Gallery, this collection of benches, stools, floor lamps, and wall lighting made out of polished and coloured resin, coloured the space with a potpourri of colours, with the intent to draw attention towards the labour of dyers, who are the original manufacturers of colour.

Lastly, a series of vivid paintings by the iconic Italian architect Gio Ponti graced the space of the luxury brand’s Parisian showroom. These paintings were produced by Ponti in the last few years of his life, with the intent to replicate the flow of light through stained windows in cathedrals. The presence of angels and other iconographic references served as the perfect dramatic conclusion to this powerful collaboration.

The installation is on display from 20 October to 25 October 2022 at MODES Paris Boutique, 17 Rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France.