Misha Kahn Makes His Colorful Paris Debut
His first show in the French capital, “Rien à Voir (Nothing to See)” at Palais Royal, stuns with a unique blend of whimsy and curiosity that results in out-of-the-box creations
Paris was hit with a double whammy last week with a heatwave and its first-ever show, “Rien à Voir (Nothing to See),” by spontaneous maximalist Misha Kahn. Located in a jewel-box space inside the beautiful Palais Royal, the Galerie Creative Mind maintains his unique blend of whimsy, curiosity, and out-of-the-box creations to create a mind-blowing takeover.
Minnesota-born and RISD-educated, Kahn hit the ground running and hasn’t looked back since. There is no rhyme or reason to his creations—anything and all goes. Galerie sat down with the visionary creative in Paris amongst a background of mirrors to hear all about it. With names involving tofu and royalty, curious is only the tip of the iceberg. Let’s start with the mirrors: “I use a lot of resin, but these are all ceramic and glass. They are all ceramic frames with fused glass and regular mirror,” he explains.
The results are stunning, with lots of unknowns. “You don’t really know the colors and you don’t know how much is going to melt,” says Kahn. “This is like therapy, just let it go.” The technique depends on temperature and Kahn leant into the collage-y feel. Not surprising to hear that he thinks about color theory, Albers kind of color use but all in his own way.
In addition to the grid of mirrors, there are also stools/tables, lamps, and a little sofa. When asked about the intriguing titles, he says he doesn’t really remember them and they typically just reflect what was happening that day. Don’t read anything else into that. The lamps are molded bronze with various colorful insets and what could be described as crowns on top. The series is called Prince.
Showing in Paris for the first time with this total, immersive installation is exciting, but also “intimidating,” he admits. “Paris is so put together and my objects aren’t really buttoned up.” Understatement of the year. In his own words, he feels his work is “lucid, erratic, and honed.”
Experiencing Kahn’s exhibition is like stepping into another world—fanciful and comfy, intriguing and curious. Having the artist animate the installation with his freeflow commentary and infectious laugh is icing on the cake. Such an unusual situation for what he so aptly described as “buttoned-up Paris.” This coming from the person who shared that he likes to eat breakfast in the shower. Not to save time, but to make it an event, a long, pensive process. And when asked what else might not be known about him, he revealed that he feels like a lot of his creative decisions are made through the lens of mahjong. “I used to play as a kid. I think it’s easier than bridge and a bit more spicy. You can play like a purist, or fast and loose. It’s a funny rubric.”
“Rien à Voir (Nothing to See)” is on view until July 9.