Philippe Gravier presents Parent & Kuma at FIAC
Galerie Philippe Gravier will be exhibiting the sculptural works of French sculptor Claude Parent as well as Japanese architect Kengo Kuma for the very first time on the most iconic of all Parisian squares: the Place de la Concorde. The location is a development of the FIAC Hors les Murs promenade in the Jardin des Tuileries, and the architectural project presents a combination of historic and contemporary architecture and artists’ houses. Around 40 sculptures and installations will be presented in situ, within a number of locations around Paris including the Petit Palais, around the Grand Palais, and on Avenue Winston Churchill.
The fascinating selection of artworks scattered around Paris gives artists and galleries an opportunity to enter into dialogue with historically rich Parisian heritage, at the same time giving passersby an opportunity to engage with art against a beautiful scenic backdrop.
Claude Parent: Blending Form and Function
The French-born Claude Parent (b. 1923 – 2016) is one of France’s most renowned architects on the international art scene, admired by many, particularly that of Jean Novel. Parent was the founding father of the ‘Function of the Oblique’, alongside friend Paul Virilio, which established a new relationship with the ground based on instability and irregularity. He believed that buildings should feature slopes, ramps and angles, be wall-free wherever possible and have a predominance of space over the surface; it is these qualities that embody the piece Les Ilots that will be installed at Place de la Concorde. Irregular, discontinuous forms and sloping lines are remarkably combined. Les Ilots is composed of steel and aluminum, which are at once objects of furniture design as well as sculpture.
Kengo Kuma: An Alternative Experience between Architecture and Landscape
The Japanese born Kengo Kuma (b. 1954 – present) provides a new perspective between bamboo, traditional Japanese wood, paper, and textiles. He lives and works between Paris and Tokyo, and the heritage of Japanese culture and the modernity of contemporary architectural forms inform his discourse in perfect harmony with nature. The artwork that will be presented at Place de la Concorde entitled OWAN introduces rhythm and diversity into spatial experiments. The piece was influenced by a variety of materials including a traditional Japanese tea bowl and fish scales, creating its multifaceted outcome. By fusing the metal with its natural environment, a contour that is never defined, OWAN combines the indoor with the outdoor creating a nomadic, modular, and durable artwork that introduces a sense of rhythm to the landscape in which it is placed.
