Métissages: A crossbreeding of contemporary art and textiles is an exhibition featuring 60 textile creations sourced from the French National Fund for Contemporary Art and private collections of weaving, embroidery, lace-making and fabric printing, as well as work by such contemporary artists as Christian Lacroix, Annette Messager and Jean-Michel Othoniel among others.
Métissages was first curated in 1998 by Yves Sabourin of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. It has been seen in 17 locations worldwide. Métissages presents works made as collaborations between various international contemporary artists and French craftsmen in the field of lace, tapestry and embroidery. These projects were initiated by Sabourin, who envisioned mutually inspiring encounters between practitioners of some of France’s most ancient, traditional crafts and artists working in various experimental modes. The union of their diverse artistic skills has given rise to extraordinary work, enriching the artists’ repertoire of techniques and, in some cases, leading to lasting technical innovations. The range of forms is extraordinary, including large- and small-scale tapestries, two- and three-dimensional lace and embroidery pieces, and installations. The collaborative teams combined acute attention to detail and superior technical skill with fresh artistic vision and, often, provocative contemporary ideas.
