Six years after the gallery opening with the presentation of “Ras El Hanout”, a tapestry depicting a collection of spices handwoven in Aubusson, “Lemuriforme” addresses once again the theme of the spice, pulling a thread from the first works to today. At the origin of this exhibition is Pierre Marie’s 2018 meeting with Emblem Manufactures, the company that brings together rare decorative techniques and the know-how of French craftsmanship.
The naturalist Carl Von Linné gave the “Lemur” its name, “spirit” in Latin, in homage to its inhabited and ghostly character. The animal is here represented in a gigantic digitally printed mural on the walls of the gallery, somewhere between the tomb of an Egyptian prince and a pop art icon, guardian of an imaginary vault. Allegorical, but also deeply endemic (we find it mainly on the island of Madagascar, like the spices represented in the different motifs), it reminds us that in certain regional traditions lies the preservation of identities. Understanding the cloisonné technique carried out in Lorraine by the Émaux de Longwy factory on the ceramics which cover the cabinet, or the wood veneer work carried out on the light mirrors by Craman Lagarde, also means detecting the traces of an ancestral and delicate tradition, seeing in the handiwork the spectre of many an artisan’s hand committed to preserving and cultivating a profound heritage.
Partner craftsmen:
Les Émaux de Longwy et Craman-Lagarde, des manufactures Emblem; Atelier Gamil.
