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Marc Camille Chaimowicz/Vienna Secession

The invitation to present a solo show at the prestigious Vienna Secession emerged from Chaimowicz’s ongoing research into the applied or decorative arts and specifically the craft products of the Wiener Werkstätte and Viennese architecture. The exhibition was developed specifically for the space at Secession comprising of a floorscape of carpets (designed by Chaimowicz) with floral and abstract ornamental patterns in soft pastel shades spread out across the Secession’s light-flooded white cube. The large-format asymmetric carpets were presented on bases of different heights whose vertical and horizontal angled surfaces, called into question the functionality of the tufted carpets at the same time as elevating them to the status of autonomous artworks. A multitude of parasols in variously patterned fabrics were arranged on and beside the carpets. The installation also included curated furniture pieces and interventions by the Viennese architect Hermann Czech, and the young British artist Simon Thompson. The installation operated as (to use Chaimowicz’s terminology) a “choreography” exploring the vocabulary of Modernism and the hierarchy of applied and fine art and/or the often-indistinct line between consumer item and art object.The exhibition was accompanied by A Folio for Secession, an artist’s portfolio with five pattern sheets, a letter from Marc Camille Chaimowicz in facsimile, and an essay by Silvia Eiblmayr (German/English and French /English). Produced by the Secession, published in cooperation with Musée La Piscine, Roubaix.