Each bag part of the project represents a true and renewed demonstration of how Louis Vuitton manages to combine the spirit of research and innovation, with artisan savoir-faire, these elements lending themselves to the service of artists of international caliber and their own creativity. The name of the bag was inspired by the very first LV store, on Rue Neuve-des-Capucines in Paris, and over time this has become an iconic piece, and more importantly it has come complete with a design perfect for allowing free experimentation and expression by artists of all kinds. The latest five versions are clear representations of the versatility of the works, the collection, and the bag itself, aesthetic vision merges with talent, inventiveness joins ingenuity, and expert technical mastery infuses each piece with a unique, personal, and incredibly visionary character. The fifth chapter of the project symbolises the ultimate expression of the concept of free expression, while affirming its strong character of femininity, naturalness and maturity.
BILLIE ZANGEWA
The Malawi-born and South African-based artist decides to making landscapes and portraits through fragments of raw silk, going so far as to create the work The Swimming Lesson (2020), together with her son Mika. The high-definition trompe-l’oeil technique brings out the details: strong and vivid embroidery, handmade and deliberately visible stitching. Each of her compositions tells experiences and stories of everyday life; in her work she celebrates and explores femininity and gender identity through textile works that express her personal experience.
EWA JUSZKIEWICZ
Ginger Locks (2021) is the Polish painter’s sensational and surrealist work of choice for reinterpretation. A quest aimed at female identity, the oppression of her role in the Western model is transposed here in a skilful high-definition printing technique, which is emphasised by a chain of golden pearls. Her usual portraits of women that echo famous works of the early modern age, especially Flemish, give way this time to a less didactic expression is more abstract, perhaps more human and personal. The effect conveyed is her hallmark: perturbing, uncertain and free of any perceptual constraints.
LIZA TOU
The American artist’s approach is the result of an intense work involved in her reaction, seductive and provocative materiality manifests itself in each of her works. Known in the early 1990s for pioneering installations made of glass beads, she has now moved to a more minimalist pursuit, inviting the viewer to explore the full potential of personal perception. For the occasion, she works on an incredible purpose-created texture composed of a careful assemblage of beads in soft, light colours. The process involves first embossing on soft leather, and then printing in pastel tones. The inspiration is his large-scale sculpture Kitchen (1995).
TURSIC & MILLE
Coste Tursic and Romain Mille have composed the French Serbian duo enlisted by the Maison since 2000 to create their Artycapucines. A vision that questions the vast amount of images with which the contemporary world is bombarded, reflecting also on their intimate vision of painting. The elements we find in their works are borrowed from the surrounding reality, including movies, print media, and the web. Aiming to confound the rules of traditional painting, they continue their vision of modern and contemporary pictorial representation. Here they decide to recontextualise the Capucines by reinventing it into a recognisable flower shape, which is in turn decorated with embroidery and colours from the painting Tenderness (2021), the handle is offered in burnt cedar, and the LV logo is inlaid.
ZIPING WANG
The mini Artycapucines proposed by the Chinese artist is the smallest in the collection; it is made of leather fragments and brightly coloured inlays, reflecting the inspiration of his practice. Everyday life, mundanity and childhood memories. The elements in fact appear bright, pop, in illusory opposition to a thoughtful, reflective world. His work is meant to envelop the viewer in an overwhelming experience of life, the wide range of references is clearly taken from the digital age that storms us daily with elements overflowing with colours, fonts and information. Image modification allows Wang to transform popular symbols into a distinct and recognisable visual language.
