New York, January 12, 2016 —The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy are thrilled to present Le bestiaire, a new installation created by celebrated French designer Ionna Vautrin, on view at the FIAF Gallery from January 16 through April 2. The exhibition is part of the inaugural Tilt Kids Festival that runs March 4 through April 3, and Oui Design, a program initiated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, to enhance French-American cooperation in the field of design.Crafty as a monkey, cunning as a fox, proud as a peacock, stubborn as a mule, or gentle as a lamb… A menagerie of disguises, the bestiary offers children the chance to slip into the skin of all kinds of animals, from the very tame to the very wild. Beautiful or ugly, good or bad, marvelous or monstrous, anything is allowed when playing dress up.
The animal kingdom rouses the imaginations of the young and old alike. Many designers have explored the world of childhood through this unifying theme, imbuing everyday objects with zoological references. Could it be a desire to tame wild animals that propels designers to represent fierce creatures as docile pets?Fourteen artists together created an imaginary zoo populated with abstract, unexpected, and hyperreal animals. The stunning result was born out of the fantasies of an eclectic team comprising Studio Brichet Ziegler, Perrine Vigneron and Gilles Belley, Louise de Saint Angel, Anne Lutz, Joachim Jirou-Najou, Felipe Ribon, Les Graphiquants, Twice, Helkarava, Bonnefrite, Malika Favre, Amélie Fontaine, Leslie David, and Ionna Vautrin.
Le bestiaire WorkshopsSaturdays, March 12 & April 2 at 3:30pmFIAF, Tinker AuditoriumAges 3–10Using the creatures in this exhibition as inspiration, associated workshops encourage children to imagine their own creature on a blank costume. Devised by graphic designer Amélie Doistau and illustrator Tomoë Sugira, this design laboratory is inspired by the forms, colors, and patterns of existing animals. Once all the animal reveries are down on paper, the carnival can begin. The beasts are unleashed! They roar, sing, meow, growl… Fly, swim, run, jump, and pounce.Exhibition produced by the City of Design as part of the Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial 2015
About Ionna Vautrin
Industry meets poetry in the work of designer and artist Ionna Vautrin. With everyday objects that are simple and obvious, yet never cease to surprise, her work embodies a gentle and generous presence, organic and geometric shapes, a cheerful and colorful spirit, and an intuitive and functional usage. After working for such brands as Camper, George J. Sowden, and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Vautrin won the Grand Prize for Creation in the city of Paris in 2010. She opened her own studio the following year. Today, Vautrin works with brands including Foscarini, Moustache, Kvadrat, Christian Dior, Sancal, Super-ette, Lexon, Serralunga, and more.
About Tilt Kids Festival
Tilt Kids Festival is a new month-long, citywide festival of the arts that talks up, not down, to children, sparking their imagination and encouraging their dreams. Philosophy and dance, circus and magic, design, music, and gastronomy come together in a series of forward-thinking and playful events curated for the audiences of today and tomorrow. The festival runs March 4 through April 3, 2016.Tilt Kids Festival is presented by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) and French Cultural Services with partners Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) The Invisible Dog Art Center, Museum of Food & Drink, The New Victory Theater, and the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The festival is co-curated by Lili Chopra and Violaine Huisman. www.tiltkidsfestival.org
About the FIAF Gallery
Since its opening in April 2007, the FIAF Gallery has been an invaluable addition to the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). Dedicated to showing artwork that promotes the dialogue between American and French-speaking communities, the Gallery has been host to established artists like Lucien Clergue, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, and Ryoji Ikeda, as well as emerging artists like Nick van Woert and Cécile Pitois.
About the Cultural Services of the French Embassy
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy promotes the best of French arts and education across the US and builds partnerships between artists, institutions and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. In New York, through its bookshop Albertine, it fosters French-American exchange around literature and the arts. www.frenchculture.org
About FIAF
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is New York’s premiere French cultural and language center. FIAF’s mission is to create and offer New Yorkers innovative and unique programs in education and the arts that explore the evolving diversity and richness of French cultures. FIAF seeks to generate new ideas and promote cross cultural dialogue through partnerships and new platforms of expression. www.fiaf.org
Merci!
Special thanks to all our partners in New York and Paris who helped us make Tilt happen: Institut français, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Howard Gilman Foundation, FACE Foundation, Florence Gould Foundation, Air France, and SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques).
Media Contact
FIAF: Natascha Bodemann | 646 388 6677 | nbodemann@fiaf.orgCultural Services of the French Embassy: Emilie Cabouat | 212 439 1417 | emilie.cabouat@diplomatie.gouv.fr