WEARABLE SCULPTURES
An exhibition on Carlos Peñafiel

LEMAIRE presents Wearable Sculptures, a traveling exhibition dedicated to the prolific work of Carlos Peñafiel,
the self-taught Chilean artist who has been collaborating with the brand for over ten years.

The exhibition is on view from 3 to 23 March 2025 at the Paris Flagship, 1 rue Elzévir, 75003.

Driven by a taste for anthropomorphic play and reinventions full of imagery, the exhibition transforms the space into a flat tint-stage where the porous links of this archipelago of objects come into view.

The exhibition has been enriched by the research work carried out for a monograph devoted to Carlos Peñafiel.
Carlos Peñafiel is the first publication by Éditions Siegelbaum-Tran – founded by Sarah-Linh Tran, co-artistic director of LEMAIRE.

Carlos Peñafiel’s unique creations echo the world of LEMAIRE, questioning the function of everyday objects and drawing on the skills of traditional craftsmanship.
Two accessories born of this relationship, the Carlos bag, and the Egg bag, have been included in the collections.
The exhibition Wearable Sculptures also reveals a series of allegorical purses, featuring a bust, a shell, and a castanet—designed by the artist and produced in a limited series.

One of the techniques used by Carlos Peñafiel involves pressing moistened leather in a mold to obtain the desired shape.

This method enables Peñafiel to create pieces that are at once a shell, an object of desire, a conversational tool, and a magical amulet, far removed from the usual codes of leather goods.
For Peñafiel, transitioning from the artisanal creation of one-off pieces to prototyping and accompanying manufacturers in fashion presents an opportunity to bring his work to life on a wider scale.

WEARABLE SCULPTURES
AN EXHIBITION ON CARLOS PEÑAFIEL
3–23 MARCH 2025
LEMAIRE FLAGSHIP
1 RUE ELZÉVIR, 75003 PARIS

Curated by Sarah-Linh Tran and Jos Auzende
Scenography by Jeanne Briand
Photography by Estelle Hanania
FILM BY GUILLEM CRUELLS