As part of their on-going research into traditions of floral gift giving, Klintberg and Nemer produced seven vases in collaboration with ceramicist duo Barlet Soeurs. Each vase features handwritten poems on floral and erotic themes co-authored via WhatsApp by Klintberg and Nemer.
Barlet Soeurs produced slipcast vases from a vocabulary of vessel forms in their atelier in Saint-Symphorien-des-Bois. Nemer and Klintberg then handpainted poems and other decorative elements onto the vase surfaces. A typography that alternates between each artist’s individual lettering style was developed to echo the call-and-response method used for writing the poems. Barlet Soeurs coached Klintberg and Nemer on the glazing and managed the kiln firings.
Klintberg and Nemer collaborated with Paris florist Jacques Semer to create flower arrangements for each vase, which were then photographed by Matt Frenot.
A publication featuring photographs of the vases with and without Semer’s floral arrangements is currently in production, designed by Clément Wibaut. The images are accompanied by a commissioned text by Écologies Déviantes author Cy LeCerf Maulpoix, short reflective texts by Klintberg and Nemer’s, as well as the full poem texts. A Paris launch is planned for spring 2024, and a Montréal launch in autumn 2024 as part of the Façonner l’Amitié exhibition curated by Meredith Carruthers and Susannah Wesley. Seven Vases Filled With Flowers was produced through funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.
