They are crumpled, folded, perforated and jagged, they give an idea of shapes, perhaps even body shapes. Yet the three-dimensional paper objects have coagulated into two-dimensional art, captured in photos that are suitable for still lifes, as silent witnesses of their time or perhaps just their season.

Alfons Kaiser

Editor in charge of the "Germany and the World" department and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazin.

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There they are now, the pattern sheets, hanging on the gallery of the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa in Paris – in the form of pictures by the German photo artist Thomas Demand, who immortalized patterns by the Tunisian-born fashion designer in 2018 and 2019.

Yes, the simultaneous retrospective at the Jeu de Paume ("Thomas Demand, le bégaiement de l'histoire") is more magnificent. But the small foundation in the Marais has come up with a trick to link its demand directly to Alaïa's legacy: the photo series is presented next to the fashion designer's studio, and because you don't just want to capture the complex production of a fashion design through the photos, you can now look directly into the studio through a large porthole. And there are sewing pattern sheets lying around again. So you get an idea that art begins as a craft.

An experiment with an uncertain outcome

"You don't know if they will be revived one day or if they will be part of a new work of art. That's what I liked so much about the studio: this uncertainty," says the German photo artist about the arches – and about the collaboration with the foundation of the legendary fashion designer, who died on November 18, 2017.

The analogy between Demand's photographic work and Alaïa's paper cut of couture pieces may seem surprising at first glance. Both artists love it when their artworks emerge almost physically and develop sculptural qualities.

In this respect, the two-dimensional representation of the patterns is an experiment with an uncertain outcome. But even the instructions on the sheets, which can be seen in the photos, stand out: "The feed starts here." Or: "Here's the long coarse-grained ribbon." And the view through the window into Monsieur's studio invites constant comparison with the demand photos.

If that's not enough for you, the photos taken by Arthur Elgort of Alaïa models and Alaïa models can also be seen on the ground floor of the foundation in the exhibition "En liberté". The great times of the supermodels are combined with the great times of this fashion designer. It is a glimpse into black and white that is as spontaneous as it is undisguised: photographers rarely saw fashion so playful and funny at the time.