Kimsooja, To Breathe, Galeries Lafayette

A film by Gilles Coudert & Damien Faure

Year of production: 2023

Duration: 6 min.

Original version with French subtitles

Invited by Galeries Lafayette, Korean artist Kimsooja presents the installation “To Breathe”: a revelation of the architecture of the Haussmann department store through light. Created around the historic cupola, Kimsooja’s installation engages in a unique dialogue with this architectural emblem of Galeries Lafayette: built in 1912, the cupola then flooded the store with a multitude of colored hues diffused by the stained glass windows designed by Jacques Grüber, subsequently removed and replaced by white glasses. By subtly reintroducing color through light within the department store, Kimsooja pays poetic homage to the original project and atmosphere of this historic monument, an emblem of Art Nouveau. “To Breathe” forges vibrant connections between acts of creation over a hundred years apart.

The artist Kimsooja gives us his intentions and the curator Cécile Larrigaldie explains the context of this work.

© a.p.r.e.s production / Galeries Lafayette