From 5 to 11 May, Christie’s Paris galleries will host an exhibition of work by the British artist and designer Marianna Kennedy, curated by the actress Tilda Swinton. Titled Supersonic Mediaeval, the show presents an immersive journey into Kennedy’s world, rooted in the Spitalfields neighbourhood of London where her studio is based.
Kennedy first created her carved and gilded mirrors in 2006, working from her Spitalfields studio and collaborating with artisans to draw on traditional gilding and carving techniques. The first significant exhibition of these works was held at Galerie Chastel-Maréchal in Paris in 2011, following years of bespoke commissions for private collections worldwide.
Swinton and Kennedy met through a mutual friend and share an interest in reimagining historical craft techniques with new materials such as resin and vibrant colour. The pieces, which include mirrors, bronze and lacquer works, along with lamps, plaster objects and painted emblems, are made either in small editions or as one-off creations.
Supersonic Mediaeval gathers a selected group of Kennedy’s most significant creations in a retrospective staged by Swinton as a theatrical set, drawing on the historic houses of Spitalfields. The materials Kennedy uses, among them resin, wood, mercury glass, bronze, lacquer and Murano glass, reflect a reinterpretation of traditional craftsmanship through a contemporary lens.
Her work has been set alongside the legacy of makers including Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Armand-Albert Rateau, Jean Dunand and Eileen Gray. The exhibition is organised by PLVR Zurich, and follows recent Christie’s presentations of Pierre Bonnefille, Mathieu Lehanneur and Elie Top.
(Press Release)
