In an intricate polychrome resonance, the body takes centre stage through dresses and objects – armchairs, lamps, chairs, tables – that seem weightless. Some 20 pieces illuminate the viewer's eyes in this poetic confrontation with the designer's creations, which appear as though brand new, on the verge of abstraction and matter.
“The biggest problem,” explained the Japanese designer, “is gravity, and we need to think of a way to erase it.” The lighting runs right across the creations, engaging in an intimate conversation between a knitted metal sofa, the famous “How High is the Moon,” and a lurex knit dress, a pyramid-shaped shelf and an haute couture model made entirely of strips. The magic lies there, in these shared values, this double search for structure made invisible and so present at the same time. It's as if, by sketching their lines in space, they are committing their shared vision to talent and grace. What is perhaps most wonderful is how Azzedine Alaia expresses himself as a collector, whose point of view is here masterfully redefined by Carla Sozzani and Olivier Saillard. “In 1993, I wanted to break away from the system imposed by the seasonal runway shows and concentrate on the clothes instead of tiny changes in fashion. I think I can say that my pieces are timeless,” he says. Far from seeing time as a refuge, he has never stopped exploring all its possibilities, and this exhibition reveals his quest for infinity through materials and movement.
ALAÏA/KURAMATA Lightness in Creation
Curated by Carla Sozzani and Olivier Saillard
Azzedine Alaïa Foundation
18, rue de la Verrerie, 75004 until January 12, 2025
