Paris | Révélations 2019

The 4th edition of Révélations, the international fine craft and creation biennial, takes place from 23rd to 26th May 2019 at the Grand Palais in Paris and will, once more, promote the exceptional values that are propitious to the cultural influence of our creative trades.

Initiated by Ateliers d'Art de France since 2013, Révélations is the international fine craft and creation appointment not to be missed. The biennial reunites a constantly increasing and prestigious audience: general public, amateurs and collectors, architects, decorators, gallery owners, purchasing offices, but also artistic directors and luxury goods houses.

Among exhibitors, 16 countries are represented by 400 creators, artists of matter, artwork manufactures, galleries, houses of excellence, foundations and institutions. Together, they will unveil the great wealth and vitality of contemporary fine craft from across the globe. In 2017, 40 268 visitors were welcomed at the Grand Palais.

For Révélations 2019, Ateliers d’Art de France has invited the European fine craft professions represented by the World Crafts Council Europe (WCC Europe) which will celebrate its 40thanniversary in 2019.

The program will feature several European-scale events:

• The Crafting Europe exhibition demonstrates the resolutely modern and committed vision of WCC Europe by displaying around twenty creations from various European fine craft workshops for the very first time.
• Members of WCC Europe will participate in an international symposium on the fine craft professions to pass on a collective message aiming for recognition of fine craft professions by the European institutions.

Luxembourg will be the country of honour for the 2019 edition of Révélations.

On the occasion of its participation, the Grand Duchy hopes to create, at the Grand Palais, a unique event bearing witness to the wealth and the energy that characterise contemporary local creation.

The emblematic artwork of Revelations 2019 is Nuances in blue and black, made by the Norwegian textile artist Hanne Friis.

This monumental structure of several meters long and large is the result of a tremendous amount of work and infinite patience : in total, several hundred of jeans were sewn together by hand with a needle and nylon thread.

The fabric of each jeans is folded and sewn to the others thanks to a specific technique which produces an organic and undulating structure : Hanne Friis transforms loose fabric into a compact, robust mass.

From a distance, it is difficult to see what the sculpture is made of, but under closer inspection, you can see the thousands of tight, small pleats of denim squeezed together, creating swirls of blue and black hues.

Nuances in blue and black was made for the exhibition Vi lever på en stjerne (We Are Living on a Star) at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in 2014. The exhibition addressed the public debate in Norwegian society after the 2011 terrorist attack in which 76 persons were killed, among whom 68 were young people attending a political youth summer camp for the Norwegian Labour Party. The jeans are second-hand, they were collected in a recycling station and therefore create a strong association with the young people who lost their lives : denim is familiar to all, mostly to young generations, and a quintessentially contemporary symbol.

To Hanne Friis, the blue colours represent spiritual dimensions, hope and humanism, whereas the dark nuances stand for the destructive powers within us.

Nuances in blue and black will be exhibited under the glass dome of the Grand Palais from May 22nd to May 26th 2019.