Vessel for Soul Exhibition from November 10 to 13

A contemporary art exhibition, presented by our MBA in Contemporary Arts Management students, will be held from November 10 to 13.

Opening reception on November 10 at 18:00

Art Gallery in the Upper Marais

32 rue Notre Dame de Nazareth 75003 Paris

Vessel for Soul

When psychology meets art, it is the self-salvation of the human soul. Thousands of years ago, human beings already expressed their feelings through artistic creation to relieve the pain of body and mind.

It is the mental exercise of interpreting what we see that makes art in galleries so rewarding. Creative thinking is necessary for problem solving, and it is a practice that encourages it.

It is necessary for mental health that we practice creative thinking, a skill that improves our ability to find unique solutions to difficult problems. Leaving difficult emotional problems unresolved can lead to even more stress and frustration. For the sake of our relationships, our self-esteem, and the situations that cause us stress and anxiety, each of us must learn to solve problems creatively.

Vessel for Soul presents to the public the mental journey of five different artists who found liberation in artistic creation and share their stories and works with a healing meaning. It shows the public the result of an intimate process and the variations of techniques. Each artwork is imbued with a particular psychological and moral atmosphere. Each story is a unique personal experience, which the artists spread through their works.

We hope to guide our audience on a healing journey through the exhibition and to encourage people to try art therapy as a tool for achieving inner peace and joy.

Vessel for Soul wants to underline the connection of our souls and bodies in the darkness of life through the power of art, reconciliation with the world, and the fusion of emotions and memories in artworks. Whether painting, installation, or digital art, there are all the parts of the soul carrier, the vehicle of meaning.

The idea is to share with the public how to eliminate negative emotions and escape darkness through artistic creation. Art therapy is not only for releasing emotions; it is the journey toward the incredible reality of our mind.

Vessel for Soul hopes that every visitor taking part in the exhibition will be able to experience the art therapy process. Accordingly, we have invited professional art therapists to run group workshops for the public, and we are able to hold deeper one-on-one discussions with visitors. We hope our exhibition can help people discover the benefits of art therapy. It is intended not only to heal what is broken in each of us, but also to help us restore broken relationships in our lives.

The artists

Phelim Hoey

Amsterdam-based visual artist Phelim Hoey (born 1984, NL/IE) studied documentary photography at the School of the Arts (HKU) in Utrecht, the Netherlands. There, during his first days at art school, Hoey encountered a series of optical difficulties. These difficulties were among the first symptoms of MS, a neurological disease with which he was formally diagnosed a few months later. His practice would subsequently take on a new meaning as a possible agent of healing, offering an important creative outlet for studying his condition, as well as the potential to retrace the constantly evolving relationship he has with his body.

Mirsini Artakianou

Mirsini Artakianou (born in 1987 in Lesbos, Greece) is a Greek-German artist. She holds a degree (2006-2012) in fine arts and art studies from the University of Ioannina in Greece and completed postgraduate studies at Burg Giebichenstein, Kunsthochschule Halle in 2014-2016.

"A slight breeze is enough to set my installations in motion. Made up of thousands of threads, they occupy a purely immaterial volume. It is precisely this absence of matter that gives presence to the floating sphere and defines my own aesthetic world…"

Details of the artwork “Ida” 2020/21

"wander lines #2' 2020

Lou Chavepayre

The 23-year-old Franco-Swedish artist Lou Chavepayre was born with a motor disability.

She communicates using a computer she controls with her eyes, thanks to an eye-tracking system coupled with a synthetic voice. This device allows her to speak, write, paint and, more generally, serve as an interface with the outside world.

"My name is Lou Chavepayre, I was born in a state of apparent death. I survived at the price of a severe motor disability. I have moved worlds for 25 years. I play with the limits of life. I turn my pain into strength, rather than being a victim. To be part of the world and touch it. To mobilize every possible and unthinkable tool such as touch, matter, others, and my desired body. Using my size, the most important thing to me, I leap into the void. When I leap into the void, I finally have a body."

Students

Curator - Margarita Iakushova

Margo is the exhibition curator. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theater in Saint Petersburg, at the Theater Academy. She then settled in New York, where she dove into the art world. Her previous work was related to social media, marketing, and communications. Margo wants to discover new artistic talent and help them find a way to be seen and heard. She put not only her effort but truly her love into the Vessel for Soul project, because it brings essential illumination to the world. Margo is currently finishing her MBA in Arts & Culture Management sales, display & collecting at IESA.

"Because I have traveled a lot, I came across ideas that lit something up in me, making me see the world in a new light. I continue my research on creativity, personality, and emotional health. And I keep looking for indirect inspiration"

Xiaojing WANG

A graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy with a degree as a film and television director and screenwriter in China. She is a director, screenwriter, and producer of short films, several of which have won numerous international awards. She worked for Filmplus Production House, then headed the production house Future Frame and began making independent short films. She is currently finishing her MBA in Arts & Culture Management sales, display & collecting at IESA and PSB in Paris, hoping to become a contemporary art curator in the future.

Healing art and art therapy are a great collective self-salvation of the human soul; they offer people a new way to experience art and to heal themselves. The future holds more possibilities. We look forward to negotiating and cooperating with you, and hope our project can go further.

Ke MA

Ke is a graduate of the London College of Fashion and specialized in women’s fashion design. She is taking an MBA in Arts & Culture Management sales, display & collecting at IESA. She hopes to work on art therapy and personal healing around the world.

"We all have many moments of emotional outbursts that come out of nowhere and are hard to express. Sometimes they are unconsciously ignored and not even rewarded. The art therapy process lets me be aware of my inner self, see the soul in paintings, speak, and find my balance."

Inessa KOVYAZINA

Kovyazina Inessa is a graduate of VSHNI, a lace-making course in Saint Petersburg, and an interior design course in Russia. She is currently an IESA student in the MBA in Arts & Culture Management sales, display & collecting in Paris. Her goal is to have a small shop where she could put her lace-making talents into practice.

"Life is too short and sometimes we simply forget to glance at the sky and the world around us to enjoy the natural colors and feel like a part of it. With my experience organizing in Russia, Germany, and Spain, I would create an interesting program and a pleasant atmosphere for everyone at our exhibition.

Emeline Bonnard Delacour

Emeline graduated with a Bachelor in Arts Management from IESA Paris, with training in marketing and project management. She was co-curator of Elephant in the Room, a recent exhibition in partnership with IESA.

She is currently a project manager at Aika Strategy & Art Connection and a student in the MBA in Arts & Culture Management sales, display & collecting. Alongside this position, she is an independent art consultant and artist agent. Involved in fashion, Emeline is a project manager and curator at Maison Valentin Laot and the muse of several young fashion brands. Emeline is interested in curation, the commercial sector, and artist management.

“Meeting artists or designers and immersing myself in their art is the highest form of healing on my own life path, and I found my voice through this process. I am deeply happy to take part in a project about such a universal yet individual journey with incredible artists and team.”

Hsuanyu CHEN (Sunny)

Sunny graduated from Yuan Ze University and specialized in foreign languages in applied linguistics in Taiwan. Knowing a country’s language means knowing its culture. She has training in Japanese and English cultural studies. She is currently a student in the MBA in Arts & Cultural Management at IESA and PSB in Paris. She wishes to become a curator in the future.

“People nowadays face and suffer more and more hardship in their daily lives, but not seriously enough to see a doctor. It is too heavy to ignore the sadness. The art of healing is for us a whole new tunnel toward relief or palliation. Come to our exhibition and see how we will present it.”