The IKEA+ Exhibition at 28 Rue de Lappe, Paris, opened yesterday, 29 February, until 3 March. Taking place during Paris Fashion Week, the exhibition is inspired by the fact that 48% of people globally do not feel that their life at home is represented in the media, an insight from the IKEA Life at Home Report.
'We're trying to change the fact that people don't recognise the way their life at home is portrayed in the media. At the IKEA+ exhibition, we give the stage to new voices, new ways and new perspectives of portraying life at home. We want the exhibition to inspire people to make their home a home that respects and reflects their unique personality,' says Marcus Engman, Creative Director at Ingka Group (IKEA Retail).
The space, designed by spatial designer Emerzon and architect Midori Hasuike, honours the structure and essence of 28 Rue de Lappe's many rooms, with each space offering visitors a different experience. On the ground floor, Life at Home, IKEA+ Annie Leibovitz, a new collection of portraits by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, is displayed. Taken by Leibovitz during her tenure as IKEA Artist in Residence, the collection features twenty-five portraits of homes in Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The online showcase of the portrait series also launched yesterday.
Moving up to the mezzanine, visitors will see the series of photos taken by Elena Kalinichenko, Ka'Vozia Glynn, Praise Hassan, Toma Hurduc, Trâm Nguyen Quang, and Zélie Hallosserie, the six up-and-coming photographers from the unique mentorship programme led by IKEA and Annie Leibovitz. Also on the mezzanine, and in keeping with the theme of promoting aspiring creators, is the work of six young designers from avant-garde fashion education programme, Casa93. Eva Louisa N´kie, Gitroïna Isaac, Ivann Halleur, Juliette Willemet, Loreny Tanda and Raphale Nahon have worked with home furnishing mentors from IKEA to create exhibitions focused on self-expression at home.
'We are thrilled to host the IKEA+ event in Paris! It truly represents what IKEA stands for, for more than 80 years: we have been turning dreams of life at home, for the many, into an affordable reality. So, we want this event to be a celebration of art, style and self-expression, where everybody is welcome,' says Johan Laurell, Country Retail Manager & CSO IKEA France.
In the centre of the mezzanine is TESAMMANS, the exciting and colourful new collection from Dutch design duo Daniera ter Haar and Christoph Brach aka Raw Color. The TESAMMANS collection is an exploration of how colours interact with their surroundings to enhance each other and give life to our homes. The collection is designed to highlight how colour can transform everyday objects, while inspiring more people to discover its positive emotional effects.
An IKEA event wouldn't be an IKEA event without music and food. Visitors will be able to taste IKEA food and drinks with a Parisian twist at the bistro, a first-of-its-kind for IKEA where customers will receive table service. The daily and nightly music programme, coming from a collaboration with Paris and London-based radio station Rinse, features over thirty music acts across the four days. Andy4000, Anetha, Cyrus Goberville, Fiona Zanetti, Kiddy Smile, Miley Serious, Tcheba and many more. View the full line up, available now on ikea.fr. A daily programme of talks and events featuring themes around representation, culture, self-expression and style will run inside the venue every day. For those who cannot join in person, the talks will be streamed live on rinse.fm.
At the mini-market on the ground floor, visitors will have the opportunity to buy products from the TESAMMANS collection, exclusively available at the IKEA+ event, and available globally from April. Also for sale will be a collection of carefully curated products including the popular, first ever merchandising collection collection EFTERTRÄDA, and much more.
More information:
Ingka Group
www.Ingka.com