WONDER LAB, the first museum exhibition dedicated to French Master Artisans, is presented at the National Museum of China from 12 January to 17 March 2017.
Bringing together 15 of the most talented French artistic craftsmen and women, the WONDER LAB exhibition offers a fresh perspective on contemporary creation. From silvermithery to ceramics, artistry with feathers, tortoiseshell glass, leather, straw, paper and textile, the excellence and diversity of French fine crafts are put on view in China for the first time.
The curator of the exhibition Hélène Kelmachter, a specialist of contemporary art, has chosen to highlight creators with unique personalities, who combine tradition with innovation.
Resolutely contemporary, the exhibition embarks visitors on an unparalleled aesthetic journey that intersects expertise, mediums, life journeys, and men and women who are determined to expand, reinvent and transmit their skills.
Finding an echo from one craft to another, from lacquer to tortoiseshell work, from engraving on wood to embossing, and many other disciplines, the exhibition correlates the works French master artisans – distinguished for their level of excellence, notably through the title of Master of Art created in 1994 by the Ministry of Culture –, and the works of Chinese master artisans, chosen especially by Florence Zhu, Director of the Centre of Cultural Industry at the National Museum of China.
Situated on the east side of Tien’anmen square in Beijing, the National Museum of China is the second most visited museum in the world, with more than 8 million visitors in 2017.
This Franco-Chinese dialogue will carry through as the exhibition continues its travels, enriching itself with numerous artistic encounters and finding in each city a new singularity.
A tribute to the talent of our French and Chinese national living treasures, the WONDER LAB exhibition celebrates their skills and creativity, highlighting the way these master artisans are redefining their art and today’s world, while inventing the practices of tomorrow.
Exhibition initiated by: Gaëlle Dupré, HEART & crafts
Curated by: Hélène Kelmachter
Scenography: Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture
WONDER LAB Beijing
From 12 January to 17 March 2019 at the National Museum of China
Exhibition presented in partnership with the National Museum of China and Beijing Sen Ying Culture Media Co., Ltd, and with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, the French Embassy in China, INMA (Institut Français des Métiers d’Art), and Institut Français.