Iván Argote Transforms Sèvres Porcelain with 'Mala Hierba' Exhibition

Iván Argote presents 'Mala Hierba' at Galerie de Sèvres from June 12 to July 25, 2026, following a two-year residency at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres. The exhibition is part of a partnership between Sèvres and the ADIAF. Argote created three series of works that interrogate heritage, power, and human relationships. He reworked a historical bust of Napoleon Bonaparte (1804, after Chaudet) into a flower vase, symbolically diluting power. He also painted pigeons on three vases from Sèvres' repertoire, referencing Etruscan imagery and local flowers. A new work from his 'Skin' series, made in porcelain with Sèvres' 24-carat gold and blue, features texts about touch and relationships, mounted on a metal structure by Sèvres' workshops. Argote (born 1983 in Bogotá) is a multimedia artist known for public installations questioning power and memory. His works are in MoMA, Guggenheim, Centre Pompidou, Reina Sofía, LACMA, and MCA Chicago. He is represented by Perrotin, Vermelho, and Albarrán Bourdais. The partnership between ADIAF and Sèvres, signed in 2019, invites Prix Marcel Duchamp nominees or winners for two-year residencies. On June 11, 2026, Argote (nominated for the Prix Marcel Duchamp in 2022) will pass the residency to Gaëlle Choisne, winner of the 2024 Prix Marcel Duchamp.