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Longchamp-Felice-Varini-MaMo

Involved in the artistic circles, the Longchamp House has been establishing partnerships with designers and artists since its origins. In 2016, after working with Ryan McGiness while renovating its historical flagship on Parisian rue Saint-Honoré, Longchamp sponsors Felice Varini’s exhibition “A ciel ouvert” (“Open Air”) in Ora Ito’s MaMo of French Riviera’s city, Marseille.

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Longchamp’s identity has always been voiced through innovation desire. When the founder of Longchamp came up with the idea of coating pipes with leather, nobody had ever thought of it. It’s truly something the brand bear in the DNA of the House. In that same philosophy, the MaMo is an open-air artistic discovery lab. The link seems obvious. Located on the top of La Cité Radieuse built between 1945 and 1952, MAMO is an art centre created by Ora Ito in 2013. Le Corbusier’s masterpiece has therefore become a setting and springboard for contemporary creation. MAMO short for Marseille Modulor, and MAMO short for Marseille Main Ouverte, the infamous open hand designed by sculptor Le Corbusier, produced after his death and located in Chandigarh in India blessing MAMO. It welcomes, grasps and helps creativity and artists, also taking all audiences by the hand. Ora Ito is an all-rounder and brilliant creator. He is an altruistic born agitator with a passion for shapes, addressing substantive concerns: how do we make living together easier? How do we foster enjoyment, sharing and culture? Ora Ito has lived between Paris and Marseille for 15 years and with MAMO, he wishes to build bridges to enable enjoyment and encounters.

Felice Varini was born in 1952 in Locarno, Switzerland. He now lives in Paris. He operates in situ in a different place each time and as a result his work evolves inrelation to it.

I generally scour the venue taking in its architecture, materials, history and function. Based on its varying spatial data, I define a viewpoint around which my initiative takes shape. For me a viewpoint is a point in the space that I choose carefully: it is usually situated at my eye level and preferably located in a key passageway, for example where one room leads to another, a landing, etc.

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Longchamp-Felice-Varini-MaMo-perspective

Felice Varini will span the whole terrace with three pieces (red and yellow) offering three different viewpoints. This is a logical choice made by Ora Ito for whom Felice Varini is one of few great contemporary artists.

The viewpoint will function like a point of interpretation, that is, like a potential starting point to approach the painting and the space. The painted form makes sense when the spectator is in this spot. When the spectator leaves the viewpoint, the work encounters the space generating an infinite number of views of the shape. In order to celebrate this artistic encounter, Longchamp has produced an outstanding handbag, the Pliage, joining one of the icons of Longchamp with one of the avantgarde Swiss artist.

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Longchamp-Felice-Varini-MaMo-collaboration-handbag

French luxury House Longchamp was founded in Paris in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain, and is still owned and run by the Cassegrain family today. Longchamp’s handbags, luggage and accessories have a worldwide reputation for craftsmanship and quality, which now extends to shoes and ready-to-wear collections. Longchamp is an international brand that has maintained momentum and energy across the decades. It epitomizes French flair, fresh and inspiring creativity, as well as sharing the lives of women and men across the world who enjoy a touch of luxury every day. Refreshing advertising campaigns and exciting collaborations with artists underline the contemporary and sometimes playful spirit of Longchamp, which owns more than 300 exclusive boutiques worldwide. You can learn more about the luxury French house by visiting the official website here:
https://www.longchamp.com

José Amorim

Info sourced at official communication release by Longchamp. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.