Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris

Inga Sempé is a French designer. She graduated in 1993 fromEnsci-Les Ateliers (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in Paris). Former resident of the Villa Medici (French Academy) in Rome, from 2000 to 2001, she then founded her agency in Paris and received in 2002 the Grand Prix du design de la Ville de Paris. She began collaborating with the Italian companies Cappellini and Edra. These were followed by other French, Japanese, Italian and Scandinavian companies such as HAY, Ligne Roset, Wästberg, Magis, Alessi, Iittala, Mutina, Røros, Moustache... She lives and works in Paris.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, mean to you?

A huge chance, a support and a recognition that really help because you can be a little recognized in this profession and have a lot of material difficulties at the same time. I still remember the 8,000 euros I won when I won this great design prize, they made my work easier for many months.

What do you expect from the candidates for the Grand Prize and the Emerging Talent Award?

That they like quality objects, that they combine techniques and particular aesthetics and have a vision of series designer.

A visionary designer, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac anticipated what is now the basis of new design: art and fashion, upcycling and the use of pop culture icons in fashion (cartoons and logos). He was also at the origin of the concept of collaborations with brands. Passionate about heraldry, the science of coats of arms, vexillology, the science of flags, semiotics, the study of signs, pop art and the world of childhood, his art and fashion bring together these dualities: the epic, the historical, the traditional and the alternative, the underground and the experimental. He has collaborated with many artists including Keith Haring, Lady Gaga, Robert Mapplethorpe and Pedro Winter. His artistic universe is declined around a short chromatic range, blue, yellow, red of which one of the most beautiful representations was to dress the Pope John Paul II, the bishops and the priests for the World Youth Days of 1997. His art is also expressed through installations, street art with chalk, drawings and paintings.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, mean to you?

They are essential. Revealing the creators of tomorrow is a strong contribution to the development of art as a social cement. What would Paris be without its artists who inscribe their works in each step of the capital?

What does the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

To preside is to guide, harmonize, federate and instill the luminous shadow of the final choice that will reveal the chosen talent. I am deeply honoured to have m

Isabelle Stanislas studied at the public architecture unit in Paris. In 2003, Isabelle Stanislas set up her agency in which she developed artistic concepts, ephemeral scenographies for Hermès or Cartier, apartments and houses in Paris and abroad. In 2015, she started to exhibit regularly at AD Intérieurs and AD Collections. These exhibitions are grounds for research and novelties. She exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée de la Monnaie de Paris, the Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, the Palais D'Iéna, the Hôtel de la Marine, and the Musée d'Art Moderne, as well as in Rome at the French Embassy in Italy. She creates furniture with the Pouenat house, the Nilufar gallery and the BSL gallery. She pushes her field of presentation to events such as the cabinet of curiosities of Thomas Erber and the Salone del Mobile in Milan. While continuing Parisian apartments, houses, showrooms, hotels and her furniture design, Isabelle Stanislas works to combine photography, contemporary art, fashion, design and architecture breaking the boundaries between these disciplines. In 2018, she redesigned and decorated the party room of the Elysee Palace following a selection and competition orchestrated by the Mobilier National.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, mean to you?

Since 1993, this award has encouraged the development of artistic and cultural activities in Paris. This may seem obvious today, yet there were few awards on the subject at the time. In 30 years, Paris has become a city that cannot be ignored: design, fashion and arts and crafts are and do make Paris. This prize is a real springboard for young creation! The fact that it is celebrating its 30th anniversary is a testament to its impact and contribution to the creative industry.

What do you expect from the candidates for the Grand Prize and the Emerging Talent Award?

The issues are different from those I experienced during my architectural studies. Ecology, well-being - or how to improve your habitat. Do less but better. I am curious to see how these new laureates translate these subjects into their creations.