“And Gaultier Created Man. The Male – Past, Present, Future”: A Tribute to a Legendary Perfume
From June 12th to 15th, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its flagship fragrance Le Male, the Maison Jean Paul Gaultier is transforming its historic headquarters at 325 rue Saint-Martin in Paris to offer a new experience. Called “And Gaultier created Man. Le Male – Past, Present, Future”, the exhibition celebrates the iconic fragrance created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian in 1995. The event focuses on the history of the perfume and its daring scented universe. There, visitors are surrounded by sensory installations, XXL bottles in suggestive shapes and a sultry wardrobe adorned with olfactory glory holes. The show also features the work of various contemporary artists, extending its transgressive spirit. Harry Nuriev developed an environment that focuses on the iconic Male bottle, while Mahmoud Khaled and Alireza Shojaian covered the walls with their erotic photographs and paintings. Visitors will be able to discover them to the rhythm of the committed music of Palestinian performer Bashar Murad. Pepo Moreno became Dame Pepo at the entrance of the exhibition with his graphic, sound and olfactory installation. Graduates of the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) are taking over the ‘Festival de can’ space with their photographs, hijacking the iconic bust by reflecting on popular uprisings. Multifaceted, versatile and completely free of charge: the show is a great way to celebrate the arrival of summer.
At the opening, we met Harry Nuriev, Pepo Moreno, Raya Martigny, Catherine Baba, Nikita Vlassenko and many others.
Photo: Michael Huard
