Horizons

Act 1 – Paris Design Week: a Belgian scene

For the gallery’s second appearance at Paris Design Week, the «Horizons» exhibition and its special programme for Fashion Week once again highlight this decompartmentalisation of the creative act.

From 6 September, SINOPLE is unveiling two new representations of the young minimalist guard of Belgian design. Thibeau Scarcériaux and Elias Van Orshaegen join Charlotte Anne Declercq and Joris Verstrepen among the designers from the other side of the Vosges represented by the gallery. This autumn’s exhibition is a testament to the gallery’s openness to the North, and to the singularity of its artistic choices, which reaffirms the spirit of its premises.

The Belgian school is so singular in its approach to creation that it stands out more than any other because its personalities are free of any straitjacket, giving themselves the opportunity to break down boundaries in a practice at the crossroads. More than a simple claim to freedom, it brings with it the affirmation of a style strongly marked by the conceptuality of its approach, the economy of line, sculptural volumes in search
of balance, the use of sober materials reduced to their simplest expression and their necessary implementation by the creator himself.

Rana van Pellecom, a young photographer from Antwerp, joins the proposal with her Primula series, named after the ship on which she embarked to capture the only horizons that were perceptible to her: the different faces of the ocean as the sun rose and set and the passengers changed.

Act 2 – Paris Fashion Week: object design and fashion

Accessory and jewellery designers Inès Bressand and Marine Billet are part of the same trend towards openness in their field. From 28 September and throughout Paris Fashion Week, the gallery is extending its ‘Horizons’ exhibition to showcase their respective work, from fashion to objects.

As a designer, Inès Bressand follows a process inspired by the cross-fertilisation of cultures, art and her knowledge of craft. Trained in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, her practice is organised between the creation of minimal and eclectic accessories and the creation of sculptural objects, working essentially with elementary materials. Elephant grass», woven by basket-makers in Ghana and then finished in vegetable leather in France, is emblematic of her approach, which will be on show at the gallery, alongside her free and audacious collection of basket bags and a range of functional and sculptural sculptures.

Originally trained in architecture, and already featured at the gallery for her contemporary jewellery, Marine Billet continues to explore moulding techniques that illustrate her personal work in the service of Haute Couture. Whether she’s making pieces directly on the body, taking impressions of architectural elements or freezing wax that leaks when heated, all her creations conjure up a reliquary illusion of extreme modernity and sophistication. For the gallery, she has created a set of cutlery and tableware using marine elements gleaned from the beaches of Normandy.