In Praise of “Thrones” at Downtown + Gallery
Born out of a joint initiative by Downtown Gallery and Luna Laffanour, the project Downtown + opened its doors in 2023 on 72 rue de l’Université, Paris. The inauguration also served to introduce its very first exhibition, “Thrones”, which embodies the spirit of the space by bringing together timeless chairs from the 50s to the present day, as well as pieces by young designers from the contemporary scene.
Either majestic or functional, sacred or practical, these seats offer the possibility to explore the notion of “throne” at large through their sculptural shape, history and character. Because while exhibiting them underlines their sacred dimension, placing them in a space that was once inhabited suggests their original form, thus raising the question: are we dealing with a functional object or with an artwork?
Encompassed by Tim Wilson’s paintings and film décors stripped from their characters, the pieces gain a central dimension, bringing to life vestiges of the past to the viewers. And it is not only us who experience surprising encounters, but also the works themselves as Charlotte Perriand’s chairs meet those by Ishigami, or Charlotte Perriand’s chairs those by Ellen Pong. Over an inauguration evening punctuated by poetry notes, we encountered Tim Wilson, Luna Laffanour, Romain Bitton, François Laffanour, Dominique Perrault, Mariette Sans-Rival among many others.
Text: Emma Grossi
Photos: Ayka Lux
