DIPTYQUE X JOËL ANDRIANOMEARISOA
UN TEMPS APRÈS LA JEUNESSE

A limited edition . 2021

To pay tribute to Paris, the inaugural Grand Tour destination and birthplace of Diptyque, the Maison called upon the internationally renowned Malagasy artist, Joël Andrianomearisoa, who was the first artist to represent his country at the 2019 Venice Biennale. Andrianomearisoa chose the French capital as it is a city that is very close to his heart thanks to the emotions it arouses in him and its influence. “Paris is a life force, not only in France but throughout the world. It is continually conversing with the rest of the world. People love Paris because they love the country, the architecture and the culture. The city embodies romanticism and beauty. It is an almost perfect aesthetic creation,” he explains. His project, entitled ‘Un temps après la jeunesse’ (a time beyond youth), is a tribute to Paris’ literary connections, as well as Diptyque’s past and future.

 

 

“The title speaks for itself as ‘sixty’ is a highly symbolic anniversary. It means that much of a great story has already been written, but also that there are many chapters still to come. The project raises the question of how to reposition youth, and also how diptyque sees this new era.” Andrianomearisoa’s artistic proposal takes the form of a “narrative blending the present, future projections and melancholy”, printed on 34 banners placed in “a black box resembling a monolith and representing Paris as a novel, because Paris is a novel.” ‘34’ as in 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain, diptyque’s historic home and the numbered copies in this exceptional artwork, which has been perfumed by impregnating the paper with Olivia Giacobetti’s L’Escale fragrance that captures the scent of waxed wood in antique shops, Parisian cobblestones and the pages of old books enhanced with a smoky note reminiscent of tobacco and the city’s log-burning fires. Andrianomearisoa adds, “For me the perfume of Paris must be complex. Paris is synonymous with agreements and disagreements. Paris is a paradox. It can be quiet, or aggressive and noisy. This fragrance manages to evoke the city’s soundscape and its urbanity. The fragrance escapes from the monolith as soon as you open it. It is immaterial and intangible until we discover the story and writing that arouses our emotions and memories, and creates a projection.”

© Maxime Verret . © Studio Joël Andrianomearisoa