DS AUTOMOBILES SUPPORTS THE COULEURS DE CHINE ORGANISATION WITH THE FROM DREAM TO REALITY SHOW AT DS WORLD PARIS

Couleurs de Chine celebrates its 20th anniversary at DS World Paris.

“Each family I discover in the Great Miao Mountains lives in extreme poverty. The girls of each village all need to have the same opportunity to study and shine,”

said Françoise Grenot-Wang, founder of Couleurs de Chine.

Twenty years later, these words still hold true for the humanitarian organisation committed to the education of young Miao girls. Through its work, Couleurs de Chine supports a people with an exceptional cultural heritage whose traditions and know-how have been handed down through the centuries.

Thanks to the organisation, which brings together 2,500 sponsors and some 30 patrons, over 12,000 children have thus far been able to attend primary school, with some of them studying through to university level.

Appreciative of the goals and values of Couleurs de Chine, DS Automobiles is committing to the organisation and offering it a residency at DS World Paris. DS World Paris, located in the famous Golden Triangle in Paris, is an outstanding venue that organises bold artistic and cultural events. It is ideally situated to raise awareness of the Miao culture and its traditional craft expertise and promote the organisation by presenting its history and efforts over 20 years to make the dreams of many children a reality for years to come.

Exploring the Great Miao Mountains with the From Dream to Reality exhibition

From 7 December 2018 to 15 January 2019, the From Dream to Reality exhibition will transport visitors to the Guangxi region and its enchanting mountain landscapes on a discovery of the Miao people and their traditions and know-how. Over the centuries, the Miao have forged expertise and excellence in rice-growing, fabric-making, embroidery and basketry.

The magic of the Miao country is depicted through the work of numerous photographers. The show includes a series of fascinating portraits by Antoine Schneck (represented by Berthet-Aittouarès Gallery), a globetrotting photographer known around the world for the high quality of his work which can be seen in the portraits set against a black background. The exhibition also features craft objects and traditional clothing.

From Dream to Reality shows the extent to which the expertise of these ethnic minorities from southern China (the Dong and Yao as well as the Miao) has become a source of inspiration for contemporary creators such as Angel Chang, a New York fashion designer, and Mariane Léger, an artist craftswoman working in marquetry on wood. In their work on show at DS World Paris, these two pioneers use fabrics produced according to traditional methods by the women of these minorities. Angel Chang stands as a pioneer through her Angel Chang's brand Atelier entirely focused on hand-crafted fabric. The brand upholds Angel Chang’s commitment to support traditional know-how in the region and work towards sustainable development through the 100% electricity-free production of fabric. In another field, the pioneering nature of Mariane Léger, winner of the 2015 Artinov award, is expressed in her marquetry creations combining wood and fabric. The unexpected union of the two materials has been made possible through Mariane Léger’s development of a unique technique for inlaying soft materials in wooden cabinets.

The exhibition also bears witness to Couleurs de Chine’s 20 years of action with the ethnic minorities in the mountains of southern China. It reviews the history of the organisation, which started out as a purely cultural player and in 1998 took on a humanitarian dimension to promote the education of poor children in the remote region. It also presents the concrete results achieved over 20 years of unstinting work thanks to which thousands of children, most of them girls, now have an occupation. The show applauds the support of the numerous sponsors and patrons who make it possible for Couleurs de Chine to carry out its work.

Admission is free and visitors who would like to become sponsors or patrons will be able to acquire information at the venue or can do so at www.couleursdechine.org