Monsters by Monsters Now and Then Paris Exhibition broll скачать в хорошем качестве

Monsters by Monsters Now and Then Paris Exhibition broll

Paris, , Grand Veneur Hotel , March 4 2026 From today until March 29, 2026, Paris is hosting a particularly symbolic stage of the world tour celebrating ten years of The Monsters universe, created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Housed in the elegant setting of the Hôtel du Grand Veneur, at 60 rue de Turenne in the heart of the Marais, the exhibition Monsters by Monsters: Now and Then (The Present and the Future) offers a true immersion into the visual and narrative universe that gave birth to one of the most recognizable creatures in contemporary designer toy culture: Labubu. Organized by POP MART in collaboration with How2work, this Parisian stage follows presentations in Shanghai, Taipei, and Hong Kong, confirming the international scope of the phenomenon. Far from being limited to a simple presentation of figurines, the exhibition offers a true retrospective journey retracing ten years of artistic creation and cultural evolution around this universe born in 2015. From the very first rooms, visitors are struck by the resolutely artistic nature of the exhibition. Many might expect a simple showroom dedicated to collectible figurines, but the scenography takes an approach closer to that of a contemporary art gallery. Spread over seven rooms, the exhibition combines original drawings, paintings, sculptures, illustrated books, and collectible figurines to trace Kasing Lung's creative evolution. The staging is deliberately understated, almost minimalist, in order to give pride of place to the works and characters. This approach works particularly well, as it allows visitors to understand that the world of Labubu is not simply a derivative product, but rather the extension of a true artistic and narrative work. There is a shop at the end of the exhibition for fans who want to take home a collector's figurine, but it remains discreet and never distracts from the artistic focus of the exhibition. At the center of this retrospective is, of course, Labubu, instantly recognizable thanks to his nine distinctive teeth, pointed ears, and mischievous yet slightly unsettling smile. This character has become the emblematic figure of The Monsters, a universe populated by elf-like creatures that inhabit landscapes inspired by Nordic forests. The origin of this imaginary world can be traced back to the illustrated books that Kasing Lung published in 2015, which were heavily influenced by the tales and illustrations of Northern Europe that marked his childhood. Born in Hong Kong in 1972, raised in Utrecht in the Netherlands before settling in Antwerp, Kasing Lung has developed a unique aesthetic that blends European and Asian influences. This cultural hybridization is strongly felt in the exhibition, which combines the atmosphere of Nordic tales with the distinctive expressiveness of Asian character design. One of the most fascinating aspects of the exhibition is the presentation of preparatory sketches and drawings, some of which are being shown to the public for the first time. These documents offer a glimpse behind the scenes of Kasing Lung's creative process, revealing how the exaggerated expressions and unusual proportions of the characters take shape on paper before becoming sculpted objects. Visitors can observe the variations in Labubu's expressions, the experimentation with proportions, and the initial attempts that led to the character's now iconic silhouette. This provides a better understanding of what makes Labubu's aesthetic so unique: the paradoxical combination of childlike gentleness and visual strangeness, often described as a balance between cute and creepy, which largely explains collectors' attachment to him. A timeline also traces the collaboration between Kasing Lung and the creative studio How2work, which played an essential role in transforming the illustrated characters into designer toy figurines. While the first explorations in this field date back to the early 2010s, it was really from 2019 onwards that The Monsters universe began to expand internationally thanks to a partnership with POP MART, the Chinese company founded in 2010 in Beijing by Wang Ning. The brand quickly established itself as a major player in the designer toy market thanks to its distribution model based on the famous “blind boxes,” surprise boxes that transform the act of purchasing into an experience combining chance, rarity, and collecting. This system has greatly contributed to the global craze surrounding Labubu, creating a true collecting culture fueled by surprise and the search for rare pieces.