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Mala Hierba: Iván Argote Transforms Napoleon Into Contemporary Art

Mala Hierba: Iván Argote Transforms Napoleon Into Contemporary Art May 18, 2026Exhibition, ParisOff

Iván Argote Reimagines Power and Porcelain at Sèvres with Mala Hierba

At the crossroads of contemporary art, political memory and exceptional craftsmanship, Iván Argote unveils one of Paris’ most compelling exhibitions of the season. Presented at the Galerie de Sèvres from June 12 to July 25, 2026, Mala Hierba marks the culmination of a two-year residency at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, realized through a major partnership between Sèvres and the ADIAF. The result is a poetic and deeply intelligent body of work where porcelain becomes a tool for questioning power, history and the fragile emotional ties between human beings.

The title itself, Mala Hierba – Spanish for “weed” – immediately sets the tone. Beyond its literal meaning, the expression also refers to something or someone considered harmful or undesirable. It is precisely this tension between rejection and transformation that runs throughout Argote’s work.

Known for his multidisciplinary practice blending sculpture, installation, film and performance, the Colombian artist has built an international reputation by challenging dominant narratives with irony, tenderness and quiet rebellion. At Sèvres, he enters into dialogue with centuries of French heritage – only to subtly dismantle and reinvent it from within.

When Porcelain Becomes Political

One of the exhibition’s most striking gestures begins with an iconic symbol of authority itself: a historical bust of Napoleon Bonaparte dating from 1804.

Rather than preserving the imperial figure as an untouchable monument, Argote literally opens it. By cutting into the bust and transforming it into a vase filled with flowers, the artist shifts the object from domination toward life, intimacy and vulnerability. The symbolism is powerful yet disarmingly simple. Power dissolves. Nature enters. History softens.

This poetic destabilization continues throughout the exhibition.

Argote intervenes on three historic Sèvres vase forms by painting one of his recurring obsessions: pigeons. Often ignored or rejected within urban environments, the bird becomes here a strangely tender protagonist. Inspired by Etruscan ceramic imagery, the scenes painted by the artist depict fragments of everyday life with humor and delicacy, while fresh local flowers animate the pieces with an organic, almost living dimension.

The contrast feels fascinating – precious porcelain meets ordinary urban life, aristocratic craftsmanship encounters ecological and emotional reflection.

And perhaps that is exactly where Argote’s strength lies: transforming symbols of permanence into spaces for vulnerability and reinvention.

A New Dialogue Between Art and Craftsmanship

Alongside these interventions, the exhibition introduces an entirely new work inspired by Argote’s ongoing Skin series.

Composed of layered porcelain, 24-carat gold effects and Sèvres’ iconic blue tones, the installation reveals fragments of text evoking touch, possession, intimacy and human connection. Mounted on a metal structure conceived by the Manufacture’s ateliers, the piece feels both sculptural and deeply emotional – somewhere between poetry and architecture.

Throughout Mala Hierba, the dialogue between artist and artisans remains palpable. Every work carries the extraordinary technical precision of Sèvres while simultaneously pushing the institution toward a more contemporary, experimental territory.

The result is not simply an exhibition.

It is a confrontation between heritage and transformation, between memory and living matter, between authority and softness.

And in today’s world, that feels particularly powerful.

For more information:
www.sevresciteceramique.fr

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