The Joyful Awakening
an installation by Caroline Mesquita

Hermès invites French artist Caroline Mesquita to design the new spring windows of Hermès Maison in Shanghai. Entitled «The Joyful Awakening», the installation is inspired by the house’s 2023 annual theme “Astonishing Hermès!”. Caroline drew her inspiration from the peaceful and harmonious cohabitation between humans and animals as well as from the arrival of spring when nature wakes up.

The new spring windows are full of astonishments! The men’s universe window depicts humans and animals reunited inside a green garden under the sunshine. The “seeds” (circular elements) are looking to grow in a peaceful scene where nature awaking reunites humans, animals, and plants. It is like a natural ballet and these growing plants are used as platforms to display Hermès objects. In the windows on both sides of the main entrance, humans are taking care of newborn birds, surrounded by flying insects, illuminating the new world through sun rays. When passing the women’s universe windows, characters such as fishes, shrimps, and humans are joyfully dancing together celebrating the arrival of spring. The windows show visitors the astonishment of a dream world when everything starts to bloom again.

Caroline Mesquita is a French artist known for her sculptures, installations and videos which create connections between different worlds. Her sculptural practice combines the materiality of copper and brass plates that she alters, paints, and oxidizes with the joy of theatre and performance.

The Hermès Maison in Shanghai, 217 Middle Huaihai Road, Huangpu District

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