The Partnership with the Beaux-Arts de Paris Celebrates Environmentally Impactful Young Artists
In a nod to its founder’s legacy, Dior continues its commitment to nurturing artistic talent by collaborating with the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. This partnership, established in October 2020, involves a program known as “Inhabiting the Landscape – Artistic Hospitality Practices for Living Art.” Spearheaded by Estelle Zhong-Mengual, a professor of art history, the program invites students in their 3rd, 4th, and 5th years to engage in practical, large-scale art projects that explore the interaction between art and the environment. Each year, the best of these projects is awarded the “Prix Dior de la Colle Noire,” named after Christian Dior’s final home, and the winning piece is exhibited in the estate’s gardens.
For the 2024 edition, the Prix Dior de la Colle Noire launched a call for submissions on January 24, 2024. Eight selected projects were showcased at the Beaux-Arts de Paris from May 6 to 12, 2024. An international jury initially chose three projects to receive a grant of 2,500 euros each for further development.
The jury for this edition was composed of notable figures including Alexis Barichella, Director of International Communications at Christian Dior Parfums; French-Moroccan artist Hicham Berrada; Alexia Fabre, Director of the Beaux-Arts de Paris; multidisciplinary artist Gloria Friedmann; Francis Kurkdjian, Perfume Creation Director at Christian Dior Parfums; and Chiara Parisi, Director of the Centre Pompidou-Metz. Each juror brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the selection process.
The jury reconvened on June 6, 2024, and declared Mehdi Görbüz as the winner. Görbüz’s work will be installed in the Château de la Colle Noire gardens in the fall. His project, inspired by Christian Dior’s childhood memories, features large shell-like casts reminiscent of children’s paddling pools, reflecting a blend of personal narrative and historical context. Görbüz stated, “My proposal for the garden at La Colle Noire was deeply inspired by Christian Dior’s connection to his childhood memories. Through biographical elements, tales from mythology and visual codes borrowed from the pop culture that I grew up with, I attempted to lead us toward a reflection on fragmented and sprawling narratives. This emphasized the way in which these meeting points, which are also points of rupture, can rebuild our relationship with the world.”
The two other finalists presented equally compelling projects. Rémi Renaux created “Les Mangeoires,” a project inspired by Christian Dior’s love of cooking, integrating art and gastronomy by designing an event that serves Dior’s favorite dishes using artistic ceramic plates. The installation is intended to grow and integrate into the garden over time, as Renaux describes, “you will be immersed in a dream, in a tale of the aromas of a cuisine that unites several worlds, including that of Christian Dior, his refuge at La Colle Noire, and my own. A world where everything comes together, meets and blends, before eventually disappearing.“
Alexandra Willis’s project, “Passing Through,” features three unique weathervanes that reflect the natural forces of the wind at La Colle Noire. Her work highlights the relationship between art and environmental forces, emphasizing the interaction of materials and natural elements. Willis comments on her project’s transient nature, saying, “The opportunity to create an ephemeral piece for this project was a stimulus for me. Owing to my earlier studies of inorganic chemistry and research on materials, I am particularly drawn to exploring the artistic possibilities of biomaterials.”
