Inspired by busts used in the pseudomedical study of phrenology, French contemporary artist Le Gentil Garcon’s new work Smart Objects presents a playful take on the human psyche.

A schematic human head occupies the entire space of the main window at Hermès Liat Towers. The sculpted work gives the impression of a paper cut out, folded slightly so that it stands upright. The head is compartmentalised into “cells” in the manner of a phrenology map. In each one, an Hermès object is presented, sometimes associated with small characters, to evoke the zones of the cerebral activity with poetry and humour.

“I realised that this idea of a playful representation of the human mind matched very well with the Hermès theme of this year: Sense of the Object. Any manufactured object is the result of a thought, the materialisation of it. Concerning Hermès products, this thought is both linked to the memory and to the life of the creator of the company, and to an historic know-how. Furthermore, Hermès products often hide very smart and fun tricks that you won’t discover at the first glance (a detail on the back of a tie, a clever clasp mechanism on a bag…). We can say that they are smart objects, they’re the expression of a certain sense of both elegance and intelligence. The name of my project refers also to the ‘smart objects’, a name used in drawing software to define virtual objects (lines, points, guides, etc) which possess useful specific properties. ‘Smart Objects’ is also an allusion to the two meanings of the word ‘smart’: cleverness and elegance, that are also at my opinion, two qualities of Hermès products.” – Le Gentil Garçon

Venue: Hermès, 541 Orchard Road, Liat Towers

When: 16 Mar 2017, 6.30pm

By: Hermès Aloft