In the world of Jean-Michel Othoniel, vast strands of beads drape around the trees of Versailles, transforming their trunks into delicate necks. Water fountains write Arabic calligraphy into the air around Jean Nouvel’s National Museum of Qatar. Stacks of bricks in a Seoul gallery glitter like precious gems. Based in the south of France, his graceful sculptures can be encountered in the permanent collections of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, the Musée du Louvre, and countless other institutions worldwide.

This summer, he arrives at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden as part of “The Flowers of Hypnosis,” where his penchant for gardening and horticulture shines through six mesmerizing new sculptures that link the spiritual and the sensory. “Gardens leave a great deal of space for the irrational, the inexplicable, and the extravagant,” he says. “They’re places of mystery, magic, and secrecy. ‘The Flowers of Hypnosis’ carry within them the spell of the imaginary.” It’s his largest exhibition in the country since his retrospective came to the nearby Brooklyn Museum more than a decade ago, in 2012. (Another exhibition of new work opens at Perrotin in October.)

Below, the artist speaks with Surface about the new shows, the architecture of roses, and the importance of tending to your own garden.

When was the first time you encountered the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens?

Ten years ago. I was totally fascinated by the extravaganza of this 19th-century garden. It was when I had my solo show at the Brooklyn Museum, and that was why I wanted to exhibit my sculptures today. It’s a frame for absolute craziness.

This is the third of your shows as part of the Dior Cultural Gardens initiative. What interests you about the connection between fashion and horticulture?

Dior perfume helped me to realize several interventions in historical gardens. We share a passion for flowers and gardens. It was an obvious encounter: Flowers are the base of their fragrance creations, as they are for my sculptures.

What’s hypnotic about flowers?

Flowers are the first images. For centuries, humans have looked at them, hoping they will discover signs. In my show, sculptures are paying homage to the architecture of flowers. The beads follow the curves and pace of the petals.

The lotus flower inspires five sculptures. What resonated with you?

Lotus is a very spiritual flower. The Japanese garden is the perfect showcase for lotus-inspired sculptures because of its importance in Buddhist culture.

You’ve also been influenced by roses. What remains fascinating about them?

Rose is the queen of the flowers. I draw and paint a lot of them, including the ones permanently installed in the Louvre. The rose is one of the stronger flowers in terms of structure. It is an architecture by itself. How the petals are displayed and connected is inspiring for a sculptor. It’s an example of perfection, a gift of nature.

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Today is the final day to see “A Digital Transcendence: The Intersection of Art and Technology” at 0X.17 Gallery in New York City’s Seaport District. The group show features eight artists—Botto, Camibus, Emily Xie, Jack Kaido, Matt Kane, Osinachi, and William Mapen x Christiane Lemieux—each of whom is known for integrating technology into their respective practices. With this exhibition, curator Paloma Rodriguez argues that, like Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism, the Digital Art movement has the potential to change the future of art as we know it.

When it comes to traveling these days, it almost feels like a case of “pics or it didn’t happen.” But Autograph Collection Hotels is embracing the sensation this summer with Impressions, a project with Fotografiska which immersed photographers in four international hotels and let them, and their inspirations, run wild.

The American talent (and Guggenheim fellow) Alessandra Sanguinetti used Mesm Tokyo as her home base, then ventured onto city streets for high-contrast portraits of the charismatic subjects she encountered. Cristina De Middel made dynamic, playful work that disorients the surroundings she explored at the Alaia Belize in San Pedro. Gregory Halpern stayed closer to home, bunking at The National inside a former Oklahoma City bank; the familiarity fostered the empathy he exposes in photographs of boxing gyms and rodeos.

Oslo-based Jonas Bendiksen went to Berlin. From his perch at Hotel Luc—a new jewel in Marriott Bonvoy’s crown, all Prussian-themed with busts of Frederick the Great and a bowl of the potatoes he endowed the royal status, both made of porcelain, and blue walls boasting portraits of modern royalty—he created photographs deploying the city’s fondness for minimalism and repetition to moody, melancholy effect.

The four photographers’ work, and a short film documenting its creation, were recently unveiled at Fotografiska New York, and will travel to Autograph Collection hotels around the world. Limited-edition prints are available on Fotografiska’s website and at select hotels, to benefit the not-for-profit Bronx Documentary Center. Guests at select properties will, upon check-in, receive complimentary Lomography 35mm cameras and rolls of film, so they can go out and make impressions of their own.

The theme of this year’s Nantucket by Design is “legacy,” and Christopher Farr Cloth honors it with “Threads of Life,” a remarkably star-studded quilt exhibition benefiting the Nantucket Historical Association. On view at Greater Light from Aug. 2–5, the exhibition includes 14 heavy hitters, including Atelier Ace, Kate Blee, Frank de Biasi, Fogo Island Workshop, Kathleen Hay, Kit Kemp, Mitch Owens, and Eleish van Breems.

Each iterates a captivating take on the ancient craft of quilting. Some, like And Objects and Commune, go graphic; Mally Sock’s is equally geometric while pulling inspiration from Kente cloth. Noz Nozawa threads together historical references to both Gee Bend and Japanese Yosegire patchwork, while Yabu Pushelberg’s beach scene stitches together a sunset worthy of Hockney. And to tie in the theme, the designers all utilize cuttings from Christopher Farr Cloth’s archive of luxury fabric, making each quilt one of a kind.

Our new weekly scoop on industry players moving onwards and upwards.

Jack Shainman Gallery has announced the representation of Jesse Krimes. The subject of the gripping documentary Art and Krimes, his practice began and endured while facing the dehumanizing experience of incarceration. Krimes, a 2023 Creative Capital grantee, is also the founder and executive director of the Center for Art and Advocacy, a first-of-its-kind organization dedicated to the support and mentorship of justice-impacted artists and other creatives. The Center also announced an expansion of programming to include a residency and fellowship, and a Brooklyn gallery with support from A4J and the Mellon Foundation.

The RISD Museum has appointed Tsugumi Maki as its next director. Maki, who will assume her role in October, serves as SFMOMA’s chief exhibitions and collections officer. The nonprofit Rebuild Foundation, launched by artist Theaster Gates, announced that Rachel Allen has been named nonprofit operations strategist, Heather Hummons was named special collections librarian, and Mileak Harper was named director of finance. The British Museum is seeking to replace director Hartwig Fischer, who will step down in 2024.

Valentino announced a reconfiguration of its C-suite, naming Andrea Cappi as chief e-commerce and omnichannel officer, Laurent Bergamo as chief commercial officer, and Yigit Turhan as chief marketing officer. Alessio Vannetti, the brand’s current chief brand officer, is leaving the company. Gap, meanwhile, tapped Mattel’s COO Richard Dickson as its new CEO after a year-long search.

Severine Tatangelo, the visionary French architect and founder of Studio PCH, has always been interested in linking sociology with architecture. Those familiar with the firm’s portfolio—Interscope Records’ Santa Monica recording studio, the former Nikkita restaurant, now Soho Beach House Malibu, and private residences—will recognize its knack for envisioning spaces that strike a balance between inviting warmth and sophistication.

But those who have followed Studio PCH for as long as Surface also understand Tatangelo’s reverence for human connection: the multihyphenate often credits relationships and bonds for making far-reaching projects like the Nobu Hotels possible. Now the firm has answered the call of the European Cultural Centre’s Venice Architecture Biennale, emboldened to explore a new philosophy of design centered around sensory experiences.

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Dedon’s story begins with a pioneering idea and an inspired vision. The idea—to create handwoven furniture using a sophisticated synthetic fiber, weather-resistant and aesthetically refined—revolutionized the outdoor market. The vision of outdoor living rooms furnished with the same attention to looks and comfort as those inside the home has changed the way we live outdoors, enabling people worldwide to enjoy life together under the open skies.

Surface Says: Dedon’s architectural, hand-woven outdoor furniture wins our heart for its sense of whimsy. From its suspended loungers inspired by nests to the Rilly Collection’s cocoon-like pool chairs, the brand’s distinctive lens stands out.

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