Sculptor Nicole Farhi with photographer and LUX Contributing Editor Maryam Eisler, with their work

Former fashion designer supreme Nicole Farhi and art patron turned artist Maryam Eisler came together in the South of France to create their first ever joint show. Annie Preston was there   

‘Women in Mind’ brought together the sculptural work of Nicole Farhi and the photography of Maryam Eisler, under the curation of Catherine Loewe, in a remarkable location in the South of France. An all-women team behind an exhibition celebrating, in equal measure, the female body, the female mind and the meeting point between the two. 

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The exhibition was located at Dragon Hill Residence, which overlooks the sun-baked hills of Mouans-Sartoux. The driveway up to Dragon Hill curls through greenery before opening onto a structure that feels less built, than grown. This is the work of architect Jacques Couëlle, whose chalk-white forms ripple and fold across the hillside like something shaped by wind and water rather than brick and plaster. Every room curves toward the next, every window seems to lean towards the horizon. The works were shown primarily outside, in an open-air setting, positioned to catch the shifting Provençal light as visitors moved through the grounds. 

Women in Mind brings together the sculptural work of Nicole Farhi and the photography of Maryam Eisler, under the curation of Catherine Loewe

For Nicole Farhi, the chance to show outdoors carried a particular meaning. “It is so nice to see some life around the sculpture. We are part of nature”. For an artist whose earlier career was spent in fashion, the move to sculpture has clearly become something more personal.   

“Sculpture is more me than fashion ever was,” she reflects, before adding of the work on show, “this work is totally within, it is you, it is totally you”. Working in the South of France for the exhibition also struck a chord for Nicole, being born in Nice, “for me it is a return home,” she said simply, “it is emotional”.

Full Stretch, carved from Jesmonite by Nicole Farhi, displayed against the backdrop of Dragon Hill’s rolling landscape

Maryam Eisler’s images were displayed on easels in the garden and distributed around the house; they blur the line between body and terrain so completely that, at a glance, it is hard to tell which one you are looking at. Eisler described the unexpected kinship between her work and Farhi’s as something almost fated: “We have this synergy and these waves which intermingle and we found each other in the universe”. The two artists “share a similar language, and ethos of life and our thoughts about women with a capital W”. 

At the heart of Eisler’s practice is a long-running exploration of what she calls the “feminine sublime,” a theme she has pursued in her photography for about fifteen years. “It is about the essence of woman,” she said, “everything that she represents, her sensuality, alongside her sexuality, it is about her power of creation, it’s about really putting her on a pedestal”.

Eisler is quick to distinguish how the female form has often been depicted by men, “the male photographer has a very different gaze from a woman’s”. On her own approach, she adds, “I don’t ever shy away from anything. I think I have a more perhaps, flowy, poetry approach to form… My only technique is intuition; it is my gut”. 

“It is so nice to see some life around the sculpture. We are part of nature” – Nicole Farhi. Photographs by Maryam Eisler

What began as a chance encounter at a group show in London last year, has clearly grown into something far more considered.   

Curator Catherine Loewe spoke of how the idea for the exhibition first took shape. “When I saw the work together in a big group show, I thought this would be a really great solo show,” she recalled, describing both artists as “special, powerful women”. 

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Of her collaborators, she said simply, “working with the ladies is my thing,” adding that the exhibition felt part of a broader moment for the women in the arts, “it’s only now that we are coming into our own, as women, being able to do things like this”.  Even the working process, then, mirrored the philosophy behind the show itself.

Nicole Farhi’s Jesomite sculpture titled La Doucer, placed in the landscape of Dragon Hill by curator Catherine Loewe

Guests, too, seemed to sense that something genuinely collaborative and emotionally charged had taken shape here. Collector Gülin Dokmeci welcomed the focus of the show and the wider programme at Dragon Hill, “I like that it’s a women’s exhibition, how the curator is a woman, and the artists are women, supporting women,” she said, adding, “the residency they do here is very inspiring for the artists”. 

Vice Versa and Pile Ou Face, both made from bronze in a dark patina, exhibited inside the curving architecture of Dragon Hill

Magali Mazzei, founder of LYLIS, reflected how naturally the art seemed to belong within the Couëlles curves of Dragon Hill. “The organic feel of the house with the expression of the artists is very symbiotic, it is very authentic,” she said, “only curves, no corners, the same as the house, so it is perfect, a perfect match”. 

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Frabrice Farhi, Nicole’s nephew, was struck by how naturally the two artists’ practices sat alongside one another: “the chemistry between the two artists, I think that’s the best part,” he said. “At first, you can think that it’s two different types of art, photography and sculpture, but they work so well together”. 

Curator Catherine Loewe and photographer Maryam Eisler, with Phenomenal Woman

Walking down the garden as the light began to soften over the sea, with Farhi’s bronze catching the afternoon sun and Eisler’s photographs now within the curves of the house and the greenery, the scene seemed, in its quiet way, a statement of intent, of a group of women, coming fully into their own. 

https://www.loewecontemporary.com

https://www.maryameisler.com  

http://nicolefarhisculpture.com  

Written by Annie Preston

The Mercedes-Benz x Moncler by NIGO collaboration presents the art piece Project Mercedes-Benz G-Class Past II Future

There aren’t many cars these days that become legends. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is one of them; and a new iteration has just been launched

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It’s an interesting eccentricity in the world of collectors and the wealthy, that perfection is sometimes undesirable. The perfect timepiece, that tells the time more accurately than any Patek Philippe, is a cheap digital watch. The perfect car, while not yet invented, is probably electric, efficient, seats seven, is self-driving and self-cleaning; and costs a tiny fraction of the price of a limited-edition, inefficient, two-seater, impractical supercar.

‘It will plough through mudslides that would deter most normal cars’

Which takes us to the Mercedes-Benz G Class, which has achieved legendary status among a stratum of car collectors. On the one hand, the G Class (it stands for Gelandewagen, basically a car that can cross fields) is quite practical. A tall 4×4 SUV, it will plough through mudslides that would deter most normal cars.

But it’s also a development of the theme of a SUV, in the sense that a multi-complication watch is just there to show what can do, not necessarily to do it. Toy-like in appearance, with doors that “thud” shut as if you are closing the metal door of an industrial unit, it plays with themes of machismo and muscle.

‘The G-Class is a universal hero that adapts to change without losing its uniqueness’ – Bettina Felzer

Its ultimate iteration (produced by Mercedes-Benz anyway; there are plenty of companies that will tune yours up for you) is the G63 AMG, with far more power than necessary, a sound like wet stone cellar full of hungry pitbulls, and a striking, almost cartoonish, road presence.

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We visited Shanghai for the launch of this new model, a perfect backdrop of dramatic skyscrapers and go-getting attitude. A car produced by the world’s oldest car manufacturer, and beloved of its newest wealthy economies. It was also dramatically launched with a collaboration with Moncler and Japanese designer NIGO: three design icons together.

‘The G63 AMG, with far more power than necessary’

Or, as Mercedes-Benz VP for digital and communications Bettina Felzer put it to LUX:

Read more: A conversation with artist Enoc Perez

“Our G has evolved from a utility vehicle into a highly sought-after brand ambassador, establishing itself in various cultural fields. Beyond its outstanding technical features, the G-Class is a universal hero that adapts to change without losing its uniqueness. It stays true to its iconic core – timeless yet timely. Following the successful launch of the electric G-Class, we are bridging the timelines of the future and the past in our collaboration with Moncler and NIGO.”

Moncler will be releasing a new fashion collection, designed by Mercedes-Benz and Moncler together with NIGO

From our perspective, it’s just good to know Mercedes-Benz is still creating icons, in an era where others are falling off the radar.

mercedes-benz.com

Hive restaurant is located on the third floor of Selfridges, London

Tomorrow, Hive restaurant officially opens its doors on the third floor of Selfridges with a creative honey-based menu

For thousands of years, honey has been used as a natural sweetener and remedy to help reduce anxiety, calm insomnia, and combat fatigue. Drawing on this multitude of benefits, Khalid Samata, the founder of Selfridges’ newest concept restaurant Hive, has created an innovative menu incorporating different types of honey into an all day-dining menu which includes a cheese and honey afternoon tea and honey-based cocktails such as the Nutty Naughty Bee – a mix of gin, lemon juice, Tonka bitter and chestnut honey. The breakfast menu features decadent dishes such as fig on toast with ricotta and honey, and truffle honey omelette, whilst the lunch and dinner menus focus on fresh, lighter options.

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Hive’s range of honey includes flavours such as acacia, chestnut and buckwheat

The restaurant produces and harvests its own range of flavoured honey from a collection of rooftop hives, and the interiors of the dining room itself have been designed to create a calming, elegant atmosphere with gold detailing and a collection of colourful flower boxes which have been pollinated by the resident bees.

Hive opens on 4 December 2020 on the third floor of Selfridges, London. For more information visit: hiverestaurant.uk