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2025
Neko lounge chair
aluminium
ht. 91 × 41 × 41 cm
chaque pièce est numérotée et accompagné d'un certificat d'authenticité signé
Il y a dix ans Benoît Maire a dessiné un salon « chat » composé d’une table basse, d’un tapis et de plusieurs assises. Les yeux et la moustache du chat étaient cachés dans la décoration de la table et ses pieds se retrouvaient dans les assises. Ce projet est resté au stade du dessin. En 2024 l’observation d’un chat se déplaçant dans l’atelier de Kanjiro Kawai à Kyoto redonna le désir à l’artiste de composer du mobilier pour un chat.
Il ne s’agissait plus de représenter un chat caché dans le mobilier, mais de créer un mobilier susceptible de l’amuser. La découverte du Japon venant nourrir la conception de ce mobilier, des éléments en céramique raku et des bambous de Kyoto viennent souligner les lignes claires des chaises, tabourets et tables de cet ensemble. En confrontant un design épuré et un système d’ornements, Benoît Maire cherche l’équilibre d’un geste simple mais généreux. Le mot « chat » se dit « neko » en japonais et donne le titre générique à cet ensemble conçu au japon puis réalisé avec des artisans en France, en dialogue constant avec Valérie Goodman qui est au coeur du projet depuis le début.
Ten years ago, Benoît Maire designed a “cat” living room consisting of a coffee table, a rug, and several seats. The cat's eyes and whiskers were hidden in the table's decoration, and its paws were incorporated into the seats. This project never made it past the drawing stage. In 2024, observing a cat moving around Kanjiro Kawai's studio in Kyoto rekindled the artist's desire to design furniture for cats. It was no longer a question of representing a cat hidden in the furniture, but of creating furniture that would amuse cats. His discovery of Japan inspired the design of this furniture, with raku ceramic elements and Kyoto bamboo emphasizing the lines of the chairs, stools, and tables in this collection. By combining a minimalist design with a system of ornamentation, Benoît Maire seeks to achieve the balance of a simple yet generous gesture. The word “cat” is “neko” in Japanese and gives the generic title to this collection designed in Japan and then produced with artisans in France, in constant dialogue with Valérie Goodman, who has been at the heart of the project since the beginning.
Ten years ago, Benoît Maire designed a “cat” living room consisting of a coffee table, a rug, and several seats. The cat's eyes and whiskers were hidden in the table's decoration, and its paws were incorporated into the seats. This project never made it past the drawing stage. In 2024, observing a cat moving around Kanjiro Kawai's studio in Kyoto rekindled the artist's desire to design furniture for cats. It was no longer a question of representing a cat hidden in the furniture, but of creating furniture that would amuse cats. His discovery of Japan inspired the design of this furniture, with raku ceramic elements and Kyoto bamboo emphasizing the lines of the chairs, stools, and tables in this collection. By combining a minimalist design with a system of ornamentation, Benoît Maire seeks to achieve the balance of a simple yet generous gesture. The word “cat” is “neko” in Japanese and gives the generic title to this collection designed in Japan and then produced with artisans in France, in constant dialogue with Valérie Goodman, who has been at the heart of the project since the beginning.
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