Everything in Color
A French and Japanese dialogue about nature, tradition and the female role
November 9, 2021
Stretching the imagination to garner interest with new audiences is the motto of Van Cleef & Arpels President and CEO Nicolas Bos. From his recent contemporary dance sponsorship program entitled “Dance Reflections” or fresh off its giant “Gems” exhibition at the French National Museum of Natural History which closed this June, Bos surprises with a very serious photography exhibition called “Florae” with Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa.
What’s most interesting here? Japanese photography is anchored by icons such as Hiroshi Sugimoto, Araki or Daido Moriyama but in the 90’s there was a pre-instagram phenomenon called “onnanoko shashinka” often translated to “Girly Photographers” in English, where women photographers tried to break into the male-dominated field by taking Polaroid-like photos of their daily lives, which later turned into nude or semi-nude portraits. Ninagawa along with fellow photographer Hiromix whom Achtung worked with then (Hiromix even had starring roles in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation movie) were at the forefront of the movement. From there Ninagawa then morphed into her recent work of extreme close ups of brightly colored objects or people. Flowers, overexposures, red lips, anything Ninagawa considers bright, beautiful and lively. “The Maison loves highlighting affiliations between its jewelry creations and the work of artists who draw from the same sources of inspiration. It all comes together in a magical experience,” explains Bos.
So he gave carte blanche to Ninagawa to create images in homage to flowers. Architect Tsuyoshi Tane of ATTA in Paris envisioned a labyrinth style scenography. Over a hundred pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels’ patrimony collection and contemporary jewels from the 1920s to the 2000s interact with the vibrant color photographs of the Japanese artist. In Ninagawa’s work the jewels and florals almost become one creating a wonderful artistic illusion for the viewer.
Carpenteria clip (2009) in platinum, yellow gold, emeralds, white opals, garnets, yellow sapphires and peridots. Learning tip from the exhibition: The Maison was so impressed by the proximity to the real flower this creation achieved that they decided to immediately treasure it instead of putting it on sale.
Peony clip (1937) in platinum, yellow gold, rubies, Mystery Set rubies and diamonds.
Poster from the Florae exhibition
Flowers lace bracelet (1946) in yellow gold, rubies and diamonds. Learning tip from the exhibition: There is only one living person with the savoir-faire behind this lace like technic.
Dandelion Secret watch (unique piece) in white, yellow and rose gold and white and yellow diamonds.
Indian embroidery choker (1950) in platinum, yellow gold, rubies, emeralds and diamonds.
Florae exhibition scenography
The Florae exhibition is running until November 14th, 2021 at the Hôtel d´Évreux in Place Vendôme in Paris.
Images courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
