FIGURES (Janus)
“And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.”
— William Wordsworth
A springtime glimpse, while awaiting the full video.
Huge thanks to @agence.ida@unimmeubleuneoeuvre@walkforart.suite@covivio
FIGURES (Janus)
These figures first emerged in 2016 following a breakup.
They have reappeared in 2025 after another breakup, but this time, in ceramic.
The reflection on the myth of Aristophanes is taking a firmer hold.
Now, I find myself immersed in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
The raven’s dive into the belly of the whale begins.
Huge thanks to @agence.ida@unimmeubleuneoeuvre@walkforart.suite@covivio
One day in the studio of @studiolukejames as part of our ongoing project for the charter “1 immeuble 1 œuvre” curated by IDA for Covivio.
"Liaisons" is inspired by the face of Janus, guardian of thresholds and passageways, these sculptures establish a dialogue between memory and the future.
Coming soon ✨
As part of the “1 immeuble, 1 œuvre” program, Covivio has commissioned IDA to produce an original artwork.
This artistic project is part of the continuity of the building’s renovation, whose interior design was entrusted to Maison Sarah Lavoine. This place, steeped in memories of human communication and technical architecture, becomes the stage for a dialogue between construction and nature, geometry and vegetation, memory and the present.
The ambition of this commission is two fold: - To create a point of encounter and connection, an artwork that stimulates the imagination, encourages interaction, and enriches the everyday working environment of future tenants
- To accompany and extend the identity of the site by proposing a work in harmony with the building’s aesthetic and sensory universe.
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Covivio fait appel à IDA dans le cadre du programme «1 immeuble, 1 œuvre » pour la réalisation d’une œuvre d’art originale.
Ce projet artistique s’inscrit dans la continuité de la rénovation du lieu, dont l’aménagement intérieur a été confié à Maison Sarah Lavoine.
Ce lieu, traversé par le souvenir des communications humaines et des architectures techniques, devient le théâtre d’un dialogue entre construction et nature, géométrie et végétation, mémoire et présent.
L’ambition de cette commande est double :
- Accompagner et prolonger l’identité du lieu en proposant une œuvre en harmonie avec l’univers esthétique et sensoriel de l’immeuble.
- Créer un point de rencontre et de lien, une œuvre qui stimule l’imaginaire, favorise les échanges et enrichit le cadre de travail quotidien des futurs locataires
Covivio, a signatory to the 1 immeuble, 1 œuvre Charter created by the Ministry of Culture to mobilize private actors in commissioning the French art scene, has selected the work of artist Luke James, located in Parc Monceau in Paris, whose interior architecture has been redesigned by Maison Sarah Lavoine.
IDA presents the work of artist Luke James and coordinates the installation project, which blends into the garden in a spirit of sustainability and respect for the site.
Inspired by the face of Janus, this complex of sculptures creates a dialogue between past and present, concrete and abstract, power and fragility. It invites visitors to an immersive experience where architecture, nature, and human figures come together to form a shared landscape.
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Covivio, signataire de la Charte 1 immeuble, 1 œuvre, créée par le Ministère de la Culture, pour mobiliser les acteurs privés dans la commande de la scène artistique française, a sélectionné le travail de l’artiste Luke James, situé au Parc Monceau à Paris, dont l’architecture intérieure a été repensée par Maison Sarah Lavoine.
IDA présente le travail de l’artiste Luke James et coordonne le projet d’installation s’intégrant au jardin, dans une logique de durabilité et de respect du site.
Inspirées du visage de Janus, ce complexe de sculptures crée un dialogue entre passé et présent, concret et abstrait, pouvoir et fragilité. Elle invite à une expérience immersive où architecture, nature et figures humaines se rencontrent pour former un paysage commun.
#IDA #Artcandoit #1immeuble1oeuvre #LukeJames #commissionwork
Covivio, as part as: 1 immeuble, 1 œuvre, selected the work of artist Luke James, presented by IDA, for its building, formerly Paris's first automatic telephone exchange, whose interior architecture was redesigned by Maison Sarah Lavoine.
Luke James, a graduate of the Beaux-Arts in Lyon (2015), is a contemporary artist collaborating with institutions : AIA DRAC Île-de-France, AIX DRAC Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Prix Révélation Emerige.
His practice, which combines sculpture, photography, and painting, explores the poetry of gesture and the memory of forms, transforming everyday actions into introspective works. His works question our relationship to space, memory, and materiality, offering a reflection on human interactions and social structures.
His art develops through pieces that function as fragmentary traces of the dissection of relationships between power dynamics and curiosity: humans, animals, architecture, and social classes are some of the components of the interactions observed and questioned by the artist on a daily basis.
These reflections are nourished by a diligent reading of American and European literature and philosophy that depict pioneering attitudes and thoughts, offering a counterpoint to the prescriptions of modern Western society. His work combines a harsh minimalism, grounded in his Burgundian origins, with the legacy of American land art, evoking a form of obstinate neo-ruralism in the face of the ruins of the contemporary world.
Portrait d'artiste #1: Luke James
Né en 1990 et diplômé de l’École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon en 2015, il vit et travaille entre Paris et Aubervilliers.
Assembler, chahuter et partager semblent être les principales intentions du travail de l'artiste dont la pensée oscille entre un minimalisme généreux et une magie conceptuelle au travers de mises en tension entre le monde et ses jeux, l’insolence et l’effroi. 💥Editions ARTAÏS : Les bouteilles (gueule de bois) 5 sculptures, bois, craie noire, vernis, dimensions variables.
📍Exposition du 26 au 29 septembre
8 rue Saint Claude, Paris 3e
Vidéo réalisée par @valentin_nguyen
#artaïsartcontemporain #editionsartaïs #portraitartiste @studiolukejames #exposition #artcontemporain