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MEXICAN SOUL WITH FRENCH DNA

Everyone who knows anything about contemporary art has been racing to Mexico recently to see the latest and greatest. While many focus their attention on Pre-Columbian art and 20th century artists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, contemporary Mexican artists also draw from the country’s aesthetic traditions. A culture that offers incredible depth and breadth across every creative discipline explains a burgeoning fashion scene, a growing number of cutting-edge galleries and design projects that have earned Mexico City the accolade of World Design Capital for 2018 – it’s no wonder so many artists are inspired by the rich and varied ancient crafts of the people of Mexico.

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French furniture house Roche Bobois led an initiative last year that gave dozens of traditional Mexican craftspeople free rein to reinvent four of the brand's most iconic chairs and armchairs: LOOP, AVA, LULLY and FLORIAN. The project sought to promote popular Mexican art at an international level and give it more value in Mexico. The high-end French furniture retailer, established in 1960, provided an opportunity to showcase a cultural syncretism in a dazzling exhibit – one that presented unique pieces of art defined by the extraordinary talent and know-how of great masters of folk art. This fusion of timeless skill and contemporary furniture was organized with the artisans in mind: each would become better known in addition to receiving a fair payment for each piece, including a percentage of pieces that were sold. Each chair would garner respect as a work of art, and each would bear the signature of the master craftsman behind its beauty.

The exhibition was designed to present the union of contemporary design, which is appreciated throughout the world, with the tradition and vitality of the art of the Mexican people.. These one-off creations were first displayed at the prestigious

A MEXICAN RE-IMAGININGOF THE LOOP, AVA, LULLY AND FLORIAN CHAIRS

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Alcázar del Castillo Chapultepec in Mexico City with Director of Collections Nicolas Roche and Patrick Hagemeister, franchisee of Roche Bobois Mexico, in attendance. The exhibition will continue to journey through Mexico and into other parts of North America this year before finally ending its tour in Europe.

For this collection, L’Artesanía de Vivir, Roche Bobois decided to look for the anonymous heroes of Mexican art, who have managed to project their experience, tradition and invaluable craftsmanship of some of the ancestral techniques of popular art in the country. The company visited several regions to learn more about each of the families and communities that are dedicated to preserving their culture through knowledge of art. Each part of Mexico has its own techniques and expertise for textile making, weaving, and sewing that are passed down from generation to generation by talented artisans. The idea with this project was to

combine French savoir-faire with local craftsmanship, to create unique and awe-inspiring pieces of art.

Their objective, besides spreading popular art to latitudes outside of Mexico, was to remember the importance and value of traditions that seemed to be lost in time and needed to be rescued. These textiles possess extraordinary beauty and a quality of work that cannot be recreated in any other part of the world. Some are in danger of extinction, such as the famous “paños de carrete” of the community of Venustiano, Carranza, where only five artisans who do this work remain.

There is an endless line of unsung heroes who have contributed their talents to create the foundations of contemporary Mexican art. We are referring to folk artists, who with their aesthetic sensibility, proportions, materials, textures, use of light and shadow, and extraordinary use of color, together

with their humanism, freedom and romance, have become an inexhaustible source of inspiration and teaching for the most acclaimed artists worldwide. For Mexicans in particular, the artwork shows the true value of the culture. It is a heritage passed from parents to children that never tires.

In this collection of 32 chairs you will see some of the most representative embroidery techniques of the country, as well as Huichol art, which actually has extraordinary strength and projection all over the world. These masterpieces of folk art demonstrate the creative capacity of men and women from diverse communities. The result is true pieces of “object d’art,” which haven’t lost their original essence and are solidly embellished with a traditional style that reminds us of Mexico´s cultural past and present. Fortunately, this is an opportunity to give a real tribute of admiration and gratitude to Mexican folk artists.

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LOOP: DESIGNED BY CÉDRIC RAGOT

From industrial engineering to decoration, Cedric Ragot’s work has remained at the forefront of contemporary art and has emerged as some of the most innovative of his generation. Quick-witted yet readily available, curious about everything, endearing, stubborn, and talented, this young designer refused to be categorized. He considered it fundamental for creativity to move from one theme to another, thus establishing synergies that feed the next project. From the beginning of his collaboration with Roche Bobois in 2005, until his death in 2015, he brought his creativity, sense of innovation and excellent taste to projects that combined biomorphic forms of inspiration with advanced materials. Ragot created furniture and objects that will forever carry the imprint of his talent, even with the addition of traditional artistry as decoration. The LOOP chair was created with hot polycarbonate injection and stackable legs.

LOOP has seven clear finishes available for its seat and three for its legs. When the chair was originally released, the special edition version of the chairs, only 2,000 of which were made, with a pink fluorescent finish was quite a sensation. The LOOP chair design plays with two bubble shapes that intersect to form the backrest and seat, a very ergonomic, versatile and practical model. The design is clean and light and easy to put at a dining table, a breakfast table or on a terrace. These pieces create a unique touch and are practically indestructible, making them perfect for an environment with children.

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FLORIAN ARMCHAIR:DESIGNED BY STUDIO ROCHE BOBOIS

From the Nouveaux Classics Collection, the Louis XVI style Florian medallion armchair has a slid beech frame assembled with tenons and notches. The background is filled with crisscrossed elastic straps and HR foam. The finish is notable, with studs or double welting. It’s a timeless, classic piece available in multiple patinas, one that can be further enriched by combining it with any of the exclusive fabrics in the Roche Bobois collection. Even Jean Paul Gaultier has designed fabrics for the Florian armchair with the goal of creating a piece capable of working harmoniously in any space but also of being the main accent piece of a room. This chair is manufactured in Europe and completely handmade.

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LULLY ARMCHAIR:DESIGNED BY STUDIOROCHE BOBOIS

Also From the Nouveaux Collection, the Lully armchair is a clear reference to and inspiration of the Rococo style popular during the reign of Louis XV, offering furniture with a more intimate scale, replacing the Baroque style of waves of fantasy based on rock and shell motifs. With this style, Roche Bobois pays homage to one of the most representative styles of the neoclassical movement, which spanned all the way from 1760 to 1789, originating even before the reign of Louis XVI, which began in 1774. The Lully chair has a solid beech structure assembled by tenons, recesses and HR foam backing and is finished with double welting, cellulose and polyurethane varnish, wax, and various types of patina.

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AVA: DESIGNED BYSONG WEN ZHONG

SSong Wen Zhong graduated in 2006 from the Beijing Academy of Art and is the creator of the first chair made with polycarbonate injection by Roche Bobois. This resulted from a traveling design competition for the Roche Bobois Design Award. Every two years there is a contest and prize awarded in a different country, always in a different part of the world, beginning with China in 2009. On this occasion the theme was “Nature: the universal union between east and west.” For the creation of this piece, the designer Song Wen Zhong was inspired by the mythological animals of China and the legendary animals of its culture. With an aerodynamic shape, AVA is a sort of avatar dragon transformed into a seat – an elegant and strong animal that looks like a giant ant. Roche Bobois has been a worldwide reference in

high-end furniture design for more than half a century. The design has always been associated with three key concepts: creativity, quality and respect for the environment. Therefore, minimizing the impact

of the life cycle of its products on the environment is a fundamental duty. Since 2006, their eco-designed collections have been promoting products that certify a true commitment to the environment.

The AVA chair is fabricated in Italy, and during the production process no water is wasted and no solvents are used that damage the ozone layer, making it part of the eco-designed collection.

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