Paris Art + Design (PAD) kicked off its 20th annual event featuring an eclectic mix of curated art and design from a sprawling list of galleries and private collections exhibiting in Les Jardins des Tuileries. PAD, which every year sponsors a special prize in collaboration with Moët Hennessy, brings together a strong showing of contemporary art, one of a kind functional design pieces, and a wellspring of objects that defy classification, all jostling for exhibition space under the large expansive tents that run the length of Tuileries.
“Well that’s the difference between art and design: a designer can produce numerous editions, an artist does one, maybe two if you’re lucky,” says Antonine Catzéflis, curator of a Parisian gallery of the same name. “What you find here is organic.” In the very special case of the Antonine Catzéflis gallery, organic is just the tip of the iceberg. Catzéflis has pulled together a collection of pieces that tip toe on the razor’s edge between contemporary art and decor.
“This is a sea shell,” beams Catzéflis, leading the way to a huge sea shell hanging on a wall by artist Nicolas Cesbron. “But it’s not.” She grins and opens the large shell from a split that runs down its underbelly. Inside is a small cupboard, perfect for “hiding secrets, or putting something special.”
Magic? “Magic is just the word I’d use to describe it,” says Catzéflis. But magic is indeed at the heart of Cesbron’s work, who’s also responsible for a hanging chandelier lamp rendered completely from organic materials and resembling a constellation of stars orbiting a distant solar system. Just below it he’s created a long table from wood and resin with the complexion of deep clay and a smooth, cool texture.
