Anyone familiar with industrial designer Ionna Vautrin’s curvilinear lamps and vases might not be surprised to discover drawings that incorporate similar shapes. But it doesn’t take long to realise the risqué nature of her debut art show; all of the figures in the series are in some pursuit of, well, let’s just say 'pleasure'.
Titled 'Striptease', the series consists of 100 identical square frames featuring as many inventive, suggestive and arousing activities. Vautrin has not shied away from kitsch; see the Darth Vader pointing his light saber at Princess Leia’s nether regions, or else an 18th-century-inspired couple satisfying their appetites on something other than cake. She winks at our digital narcissism with two people taking selfies while intimately engaged, while several couples demonstrate positions that wouldn’t be out of place in the Kama Sutra. She has addressed a spectrum of fetishes: props, acrobatics, food and furry costumes. Most notably, she’s all-inclusive, featuring same-sex couples, small groups, large groups and even singletons.
Yet Vautrin deliberately stopped short of anything that borders on pornographic; genitalia is strategically excluded. This, she says, keeps the series flirty – she uses the French word ‘coquin’ – rather than explicit. And owing to her clean and calligraphic technique, they titillate as much for their design as their subject matter.
It’s impossible, however, to view the series without wondering to what degree they are personal. Vautrin reveals to Wallpaper* that the idea emerged during a long distance relationship when she started sketching instead of sending photos. The guy is no longer in the picture but she came away creatively stimulated. ‘I tell myself this is better,' she quips.
Indeed, when Cendrine de Susbielle saw early examples, the gallery owner urged Vautrin to produce enough to show. ‘They are universal; they speak a language without words,’ says de Susbielle, whose Espace Modem provides the ideal neutral space for the collection.
The designer spent the past month-and-a-half drawing ceaselessly (each piece is unique), which she says was intense but provided ‘an opportunity to breathe’ from her usual work. She says she is open to the idea of the series being parlayed into something else, to-be-determined. For now, though, she sums-up the exercise with a fitting double entendre: ‘The more I do, the more I want to do.’
Vautrin has not shied away from kitsch – as seen via this Darth Vader figure pointing his light saber at Princess Leia’s nether regions
The series consists of 100 identical square frames featuring as many inventive, suggestive and arousing activities
Notably, Vautrin has been all-inclusive in her drawings, featuring same-sex couples, groups and singletons
Vautrin deliberately stopped short of anything that borders on pornographic; genitalia is strategically excluded
Vautrin reveals to Wallpaper* that the idea emerged during a long distance relationship when she started sketching instead of sending photos
INFORMATION
'Striptease' is on view until 10 June. For more information, visit the Espace Modem website
Photography courtesy the artist and Espace Modem
ADDRESS
Espace Modem
74 rue Quincampoix
75003 Paris
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Contemporary artist collective Poush takes over Château La CosteMembers of Poush have created 160 works, set in and around the grounds of Château La Coste – the art, architecture and wine estate in Provence
-
‘David Hockney 25’: inside the artist’s blockbuster Paris show‘David Hockney 25’ has opened at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver took a tour of the colossal, colourful show
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-upJack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
-
‘The Black woman endures a gravity unlike any other’: Pharrell Williams explores diverse interpretations of femininity in ParisPharrell Williams returns to Perrotin gallery in Paris with a new group show which serves as an homage to Black women
-
What makes fashion and art such good bedfellows?There has always been a symbiosis between fashion and the art world. Here, we look at what makes the relationship such a successful one
-
Architecture, sculpture and materials: female Lithuanian artists are celebrated in NîmesThe Carré d'Art in Nîmes, France, spotlights the work of Aleksandra Kasuba and Marija Olšauskaitė, as part of a nationwide celebration of Lithuanian culture
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekInvesting in quality knitwear, scouting a very special pair of earrings and dining with strangers are just some of the things keeping the Wallpaper* team occupied this week
-
Tom Wesselmann’s enduring influence on pop art goes under the spotlight in Paris‘Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &...’ is on view at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 24 February 2025
