Art au
Centre
Genève

2nd edition
08.12.22–
05.03.23

Exhibitions
tour
in the city

20 showcases
20 artists
10 curators

Agapornis
On an invitation fromCherish

Access, 2022

“Agapornis” is an experimental art lab with two curators: Zoé Marmier and Louise Jarrige-Le Berre. Like the inseparable lovebirds whose scientific name (Agapornis sp.) has inspired their moniker, this collaborative fashion project has the unique quality of being based on a love for collective creativity. Agapornis becomes manifest in an enchanted world, with objects inspired by fantastic repertoires that are theatrical whilst also using artisanal savoir-faire. This excess of elegance becomes a plea for another world: that of Agapornis! A place filled with dreams and freedom, where creations are designed and produced in close conversation with the duo’s friends and collaborators, all of whom take turns being the project’s muses and artisans.
(Extract from the text written by Marvin M’toumo)

© Isabelle Meister (portrait)
© Thomas Maisonnasse

Zoé Marmier and Louise Jarrige-Le Berre formed this duo during their Fashion Design studies at HEAD Geneva. Zoé Marmier’s work explores the performative character of stage clothes immersed in daily life, where the poetry and politicization of the Drag are made manifest, the experience of one’s alter ego is affirmed, and reflections on gender, hyperfemininity, and the collective are opened up. Louise Jarrige-Le Berre’s work questions images and the appropriation of the feminine – in terms of body and attitudes – along with the notion of tenderness as both an intimate process and a political act that moves from the individual to the collective, initiating a new praxis of fashion. Beyond their friendship, they share common values while dreaming of future fashions. In 2021, their collaborative fashion project, Agapornis – for which they are the creators and curators – was born. It can be described as a laboratory where research and experiments on textiles are carried out, and where the pleasure of seeing, doing, and wearing are interwoven. It is a space for reflecting on collaboration, craftsmanship, celebration, and care as a process.

Instagram @agap_rnis

Window display: courtesy of Confédération Centre through the bureau CBRE (contact ines.debavier@cbre.com to rent)

Agapornis

to listen here