The Japanese artist Aika Miyanaga explores her family’s past at Le Clézio Gallery by freezing objects in glass and naphthalene. Sublime.
Aiko Miyanaga, Night voyage -clock- , 2025, glass box, naphthalene, clock hands, mixed media, 20 x 55 x 40 cm + light base (100 x 57 x 22 cm). Photo: Bruno Pellarin ©️MIYANAGA Aiko, courtesy of Le Clézio Gallery.
It is a space of astonishing minimalist beauty, spread over two levels. Inaugurated two years ago, Le Clézio Gallery was born from the meeting of a Breton and a Chinese, Antoine and Yan Le Clézio—one from the art world, the other from the world of translation. Located in Faubourg Saint-Honoré, within the new golden triangle of contemporary art, the gallery stands apart from most trendy venues, which often merely string exhibitions together without offering an innovative discourse. Here, from the moment one crosses the threshold, it is clear that deep thought has been given to what it means to be a gallery.
Trained in art history with a research master's in medieval art, Antoine Le Clézio elaborates on his sensitivity to the notions of essence, cultural heritage and transmission, collective and personal memory, as well as commitment. There is no infatuation here for "prodigy" young artists, launched like disposable products in a "Star Academy"-style manner that floods the market. Instead, both Antoine and Yan Le Clézio share a deliberate intent: to select only what is rare, beautiful, and awe-inspiring.
Such is the case with the Japanese artist Aiko Miyanaga, currently on display, whose artistic approach borders on the sublime. She "imprisons" in glass and naphthalene objects emerging from the past—pieces cast from the Sèvres plaster molds that once belonged to her great-grandfather, a sculptor and ceramicist. Rabbits, cats, tigers, and other animals, as well as tiny air droplets from Kyoto captured within their minuscule glass cases, are revealed with infinite grace.
At the entrance, a clock—seemingly frozen in the ice of time, caught between past, present, and future—reminds us that a truly worthy gallery must also know how to wait for its moment.
From April 12 to May 31, the Le Clézio will give carte blanche to art advisor Marianne Dollo for a celebration of everyday life and ordinary moments. To be continued…
EDITOR
Fabrice Gaignault, formerly in charge of the book section at ELLE magazine, is now the Culture Editor-in-Chief at Marie Claire. As the President of the Marie Claire Women's Novel Prize, he is also a member of the Hennessy Prize, which annually honors the best literary critic.
PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS
Aiko Miyanaga
Le Clézio Gallery
157 Rue du Faubourg St Honoré
75008 Paris
Until April 6 2025
https://www.lecleziogallery.com/en/
