Schön! alive | 野生のものがいる場所

Fabien Vallérian
International Director of Arts & Culture
at Maison Ruinart
photography. Alice Jacquemin

Each year, Ruinart’s cultural program in Reims—the heart of Champagne’s winemaking tradition—invites leading contemporary artists with a strong ecological perspective. Within this rich setting of fine wine, Gothic heritage, and thought-provoking dialogue, artists not only immerse themselves in Ruinart’s storied history but also engage deeply with pressing environmental topics such as climate change and biodiversity. It’s why it’s important to the International Arts & Culture Director of La Maison Ruinart, Fabien Vallérian, to collaborate with some of the most innovative artists addressing environmental issues today. He firmly believes that “Artists are key ambassadors to drive change.” Since joining Ruinart in 2018, he has spearheaded artist commissions, forged partnerships with museums and galleries, and expanded the brand’s presence at 30 major international art fairs across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., including Art Basel and Frieze.

“We inhabit the earth like we own it, taking too much from the ecosystems without them able to renew themselves,” states Vallérian. “Artists are here to show us the beauty of a true relationship to nature and warn us against our endless search for more possessions and exploitation.”As part of this edition of Schön! alive, we turned to the expert to curate a lineup of visionary artists— Bianca Bondi, Florencia Sadir, Victoire Inchauspé, and Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané. The four are pioneering creatives whose distinctive artistic voices captivated Fabien Vallérian. “From the craftsmanship of Victoire Inchauspé to the mysteries of alchemy created by Bianca Bondi, these artists show us that we can learn from fauna and flora and interact with our environment in a way that is not harmful or dominant”, explains Vallérian. “They are at the vanguard of a sheer sensitivity which emerged from their new generation.”

Through biomorphic sculptures and organic installations, each artist inspires audiences with urgent, thought-provoking messages. What stands out most to Vallérian is their commitment to understanding and safeguarding the natural world. They make “nature understandable and approachable, not distant or abstract,” he explains. “I believe in the visions of these artists to create emotions and to convey a powerful message and change our behaviours. Art has the power and the desire to help save the planet and humanity.”

Read snippets of our chats with Bianca Bondi, Florencia Sadir, Victoire Inchauspé, and Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané and check out the full interviews in issue one of Schön! alive, available now. 

Chef d’OEuvre #5 ‘Crayère’ + Chef d’OEuvre #6 ‘Bassin’.
by Eva Jospin, 2022.
for the Carte Blanche PROMENADE(S)

La nuit, le jour, la nuit.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
From the exhibition Une chambre à soi,
curated by Margaux Plessy,
Château La Coste, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Victoire Inchauspé
Nothing/Everything to Remember.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
Installation created for the 17th Biennale
of Lyon, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Blandine Soulage

Victoire Inchauspé’s sculptures and installations explore themes of life, death, strength, and fragility, drawing deeply from nature and personal memory. Raised in a small Basque village, she was the youngest-ever finalist for the SAM Prize for Contemporary Art at the Palais de Tokyo in 2022, the same year she graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Her work, recognized with multiple awards, resonates widely due to its introspective nature and emotional depth.

Inspired by her late mother, an art teacher, Inchauspé integrates childhood memories of wildlife—deer, spiders, bees, and sunflowers—into her art, creating a dialogue between the fleeting and the enduring. “She taught us to value creativity as a way of understanding the world,” Inchauspé recalls. “Her presence in my life was a guiding force.” She uses materials like wax and salt to symbolize rituals and light, while bronze preserves delicate flora in a timeless state. Her recent works include Nothing/Everything to Remember, showcased at the 17th Lyon Biennale, featuring a bronze sunflower and a wax boat inspired by ancient rites.

At its core, Inchauspé’s art invites audiences to slow down, reconnect with nature, and reflect on the transient yet enduring aspects of life. Her ability to evoke deep emotional responses is what she finds most fulfilling, particularly when viewers find comfort and inspiration in her work. She creates spaces for reflection through poetic and tactile expressions, encouraging a renewed sensitivity to both personal memories and the natural world.

Victoire Inchauspé

Bianca Bondi.
image. Courtesy of Bianca Bondi

“It started with magic,” says Bianca Bondi, an artist and environmental activist, who creates ethereal sculptures and site-specific installations infused with mysticism and a deep reverence for nature. Inspired by occult traditions and artists like Hieronymus Bosch and Leonora Carrington, her work blends magic with ecological awareness, incorporating crystallized surfaces, moss, plants, and dried herbs. Originally from South Africa, Bondi initially aspired to be a pilot, but her passion for science and geography ultimately shaped her artistic practice. Her works, such as Astral Ponds—crystallized pools immersed in chemical solutions—and plant-infused installations, reflect both her scientific background and her belief in nature’s transformative power. A lifelong fascination with Wicca has further influenced her approach, reinforcing her commitment to environmental activism.

Themes of life, death, and preservation are central to her art. Profoundly affected by the loss of her father at a young age, Bondi turned to ritual and spirituality to explore the continuity of existence. This philosophy extends to her ongoing collaboration with the Covid Foundation, which envisions submerging a whale-shaped sculpture in a marine sanctuary as a statement on ocean degradation. Inspired by her 2021 piece The Rise and Fall, which depicted the natural phenomenon of Whale Fall, the project aims to become an evolving underwater ecosystem.

Currently in residence at Villa Medici in Rome, Bondi remains dedicated to “rewilding” industrial spaces through her work. Her pieces captivate with their dazzling colours and crystals, yet upon closer inspection, they reveal organic decay and transformation. This interplay of beauty and entropy invites viewers to confront nature’s cycles, evoking both wonder and urgency in the face of environmental change. “When they look closer, they realise that these crystals and colours are coagulating or seeping,” Bondi reveals. “This can inspire feelings of attraction and repulsion; unveiling the true harmony of nature.”

Scrying in Astral Ponds
[Haciendo vaticinios en estanques astrales]Installation by Bianca Bondi, 2024
La Casa Encendida,
curated by Pakui Hardware collective
courtesy. La Casa Encendida
photography. Maru Serrano

Where the wind is born.
by Florencia Sadir, 2023
Open air drawings. Engraved clay tiles.
Site-specific installation CIMAM
Post-Conference Salta Tour Cafayate,
Argentina. Ivana Salfitty, Cecilia Lutufyan.

Florencia Sadir
photography. Pablo Masino

Argentinian artist Florencia Sadir draws from the traditions and sustainable practices of her homeland, Valles Calchaquíes, crafting sculptures, installations, and drawings that connect deeply with the San Carlos community where she lives and works. Using natural materials like clay and vegetable fibres, she bridges the relationship between human production and the environment, creating works that critique capitalist excess while celebrating ancestral ways of living.

Her minimalist, earth-based artworks serve as both conversation starters and reflections on the fragile balance between nature and human influence. Exhibiting globally, including at the Aichi Triennial in Japan, Sadir highlights the impact of extractivist practices, emphasizing how they harm both communities and ecosystems. She transforms traditional materials like adobe and fertile soil into stripped-down installations, challenging viewers to rethink their relationship with the land.

Drawing also plays a crucial role in her practice, offering an intimate means of storytelling. In Where the Wind is Born, Open Sky, she engraved sun-dried clay tiles with memories and symbols of the Calchaquí Valleys, preserving a visual history of the region. While rooted in San Carlos, her work speaks to broader ecological concerns, urging us to recognize the vulnerability of our ecosystems. Sadir sees her art as an offering—one that restores “the wounded memory of the world” and invites us to reconsider the role of tenderness and ritual in our daily lives. “There is an urgent need in me to communicate the vulnerability of ecosystems and the fragility of the territories we inhabit,” she admits. “I often wonder what role tenderness and rituals play in our daily lives.”

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané.
photography. Teresa Estrada

Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané, a Barcelona-born artist based in Rio de Janeiro, merges biology and architecture in his abstract sculptures and immersive installations. His multidisciplinary practice—spanning holograms, sound, film, and photography—explores humanity’s entanglement with nature. “The only thing I ask for from a new work, is for it to bring me to places I didn’t even know existed before,” says Steegmann Mangrané. “I love finding myself at the beginning of a process and trying to do things I don’t know how to do.”

Believing art is a collective pursuit, he collaborates with specialists across disciplines to challenge the illusion of human separation from the natural world. His 2023 exhibition, A Leaf Instead of an Eye, spanning 25 years of work, confronted ecological crises through both physical and digital art. Now on sabbatical, Steegmann Mangrané is reimagining his practice—seeking a slower, more tactile, and deeply experimental approach to art. “The world is going to change in a scale and at a speed of which we have never seen before. It’s going to be extremely important to have a sharp imagination,” he explains. “It’s difficult to say how such changes will impact my practice or my thinking of art, but I’m already sure I want it to be slower, more sensual, more handmade, more fragile, more experimental, more raw, more essential, more alive.”

A Leaf Shapes the Eye.
by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, 2023
courtesy the artist,
MACBA
Museu d‘Art Contemporani de Barcelona,
Mendes Wood DM,
São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York
and Esther Schipper Berlin/Paris/Seoul
photography. Andrea Rossetti

Learn more about Maison Ruinart at ruinart.com.

Get your print copy of Schön! alive at Amazon.
Download your eBook.

words. Raegan Rubin

Fabien Vallérian
International Director of Arts & Culture
at Maison Ruinart
photography. Alice Jacquemin

Each year, Ruinart’s cultural program in Reims—the heart of Champagne’s winemaking tradition—invites leading contemporary artists with a strong ecological perspective. Within this rich setting of fine wine, Gothic heritage, and thought-provoking dialogue, artists not only immerse themselves in Ruinart’s storied history but also engage deeply with pressing environmental topics such as climate change and biodiversity. It’s why it’s important to the International Arts & Culture Director of La Maison Ruinart, Fabien Vallérian, to collaborate with some of the most innovative artists addressing environmental issues today. He firmly believes that “Artists are key ambassadors to drive change.” Since joining Ruinart in 2018, he has spearheaded artist commissions, forged partnerships with museums and galleries, and expanded the brand’s presence at 30 major international art fairs across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., including Art Basel and Frieze.

“We inhabit the earth like we own it, taking too much from the ecosystems without them able to renew themselves,” states Vallérian. “Artists are here to show us the beauty of a true relationship to nature and warn us against our endless search for more possessions and exploitation.”As part of this edition of Schön! alive, we turned to the expert to curate a lineup of visionary artists— Bianca Bondi, Florencia Sadir, Victoire Inchauspé, and Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané. The four are pioneering creatives whose distinctive artistic voices captivated Fabien Vallérian. “From the craftsmanship of Victoire Inchauspé to the mysteries of alchemy created by Bianca Bondi, these artists show us that we can learn from fauna and flora and interact with our environment in a way that is not harmful or dominant”, explains Vallérian. “They are at the vanguard of a sheer sensitivity which emerged from their new generation.”

Through biomorphic sculptures and organic installations, each artist inspires audiences with urgent, thought-provoking messages. What stands out most to Vallérian is their commitment to understanding and safeguarding the natural world. They make “nature understandable and approachable, not distant or abstract,” he explains. “I believe in the visions of these artists to create emotions and to convey a powerful message and change our behaviours. Art has the power and the desire to help save the planet and humanity.”

Read snippets of our chats with Bianca Bondi, Florencia Sadir, Victoire Inchauspé, and Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané and check out the full interviews in issue one of Schön! alive, available now. 

Chef d’OEuvre #5 ‘Crayère’ + Chef d’OEuvre #6 ‘Bassin’.
by Eva Jospin, 2022.
for the Carte Blanche PROMENADE(S)

La nuit, le jour, la nuit.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
From the exhibition Une chambre à soi,
curated by Margaux Plessy,
Château La Coste, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Victoire Inchauspé
Nothing/Everything to Remember.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
Installation created for the 17th Biennale
of Lyon, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Blandine Soulage

Victoire Inchauspé’s sculptures and installations explore themes of life, death, strength, and fragility, drawing deeply from nature and personal memory. Raised in a small Basque village, she was the youngest-ever finalist for the SAM Prize for Contemporary Art at the Palais de Tokyo in 2022, the same year she graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Her work, recognized with multiple awards, resonates widely due to its introspective nature and emotional depth.

Inspired by her late mother, an art teacher, Inchauspé integrates childhood memories of wildlife—deer, spiders, bees, and sunflowers—into her art, creating a dialogue between the fleeting and the enduring. “She taught us to value creativity as a way of understanding the world,” Inchauspé recalls. “Her presence in my life was a guiding force.” She uses materials like wax and salt to symbolize rituals and light, while bronze preserves delicate flora in a timeless state. Her recent works include Nothing/Everything to Remember, showcased at the 17th Lyon Biennale, featuring a bronze sunflower and a wax boat inspired by ancient rites.

At its core, Inchauspé’s art invites audiences to slow down, reconnect with nature, and reflect on the transient yet enduring aspects of life. Her ability to evoke deep emotional responses is what she finds most fulfilling, particularly when viewers find comfort and inspiration in her work. She creates spaces for reflection through poetic and tactile expressions, encouraging a renewed sensitivity to both personal memories and the natural world.

Victoire Inchauspé

Bianca Bondi.
image. Courtesy of Bianca Bondi

“It started with magic,” says Bianca Bondi, an artist and environmental activist, who creates ethereal sculptures and site-specific installations infused with mysticism and a deep reverence for nature. Inspired by occult traditions and artists like Hieronymus Bosch and Leonora Carrington, her work blends magic with ecological awareness, incorporating crystallized surfaces, moss, plants, and dried herbs. Originally from South Africa, Bondi initially aspired to be a pilot, but her passion for science and geography ultimately shaped her artistic practice. Her works, such as Astral Ponds—crystallized pools immersed in chemical solutions—and plant-infused installations, reflect both her scientific background and her belief in nature’s transformative power. A lifelong fascination with Wicca has further influenced her approach, reinforcing her commitment to environmental activism.

Themes of life, death, and preservation are central to her art. Profoundly affected by the loss of her father at a young age, Bondi turned to ritual and spirituality to explore the continuity of existence. This philosophy extends to her ongoing collaboration with the Covid Foundation, which envisions submerging a whale-shaped sculpture in a marine sanctuary as a statement on ocean degradation. Inspired by her 2021 piece The Rise and Fall, which depicted the natural phenomenon of Whale Fall, the project aims to become an evolving underwater ecosystem.

Currently in residence at Villa Medici in Rome, Bondi remains dedicated to “rewilding” industrial spaces through her work. Her pieces captivate with their dazzling colours and crystals, yet upon closer inspection, they reveal organic decay and transformation. This interplay of beauty and entropy invites viewers to confront nature’s cycles, evoking both wonder and urgency in the face of environmental change. “When they look closer, they realise that these crystals and colours are coagulating or seeping,” Bondi reveals. “This can inspire feelings of attraction and repulsion; unveiling the true harmony of nature.”

Scrying in Astral Ponds
[Haciendo vaticinios en estanques astrales]Installation by Bianca Bondi, 2024
La Casa Encendida,
curated by Pakui Hardware collective
courtesy. La Casa Encendida
photography. Maru Serrano

Where the wind is born.
by Florencia Sadir, 2023
Open air drawings. Engraved clay tiles.
Site-specific installation CIMAM
Post-Conference Salta Tour Cafayate,
Argentina. Ivana Salfitty, Cecilia Lutufyan.

Florencia Sadir
photography. Pablo Masino

Argentinian artist Florencia Sadir draws from the traditions and sustainable practices of her homeland, Valles Calchaquíes, crafting sculptures, installations, and drawings that connect deeply with the San Carlos community where she lives and works. Using natural materials like clay and vegetable fibres, she bridges the relationship between human production and the environment, creating works that critique capitalist excess while celebrating ancestral ways of living.

Her minimalist, earth-based artworks serve as both conversation starters and reflections on the fragile balance between nature and human influence. Exhibiting globally, including at the Aichi Triennial in Japan, Sadir highlights the impact of extractivist practices, emphasizing how they harm both communities and ecosystems. She transforms traditional materials like adobe and fertile soil into stripped-down installations, challenging viewers to rethink their relationship with the land.

Drawing also plays a crucial role in her practice, offering an intimate means of storytelling. In Where the Wind is Born, Open Sky, she engraved sun-dried clay tiles with memories and symbols of the Calchaquí Valleys, preserving a visual history of the region. While rooted in San Carlos, her work speaks to broader ecological concerns, urging us to recognize the vulnerability of our ecosystems. Sadir sees her art as an offering—one that restores “the wounded memory of the world” and invites us to reconsider the role of tenderness and ritual in our daily lives. “There is an urgent need in me to communicate the vulnerability of ecosystems and the fragility of the territories we inhabit,” she admits. “I often wonder what role tenderness and rituals play in our daily lives.”

Daniel Steegmann Mangrané.
photography. Teresa Estrada

Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané, a Barcelona-born artist based in Rio de Janeiro, merges biology and architecture in his abstract sculptures and immersive installations. His multidisciplinary practice—spanning holograms, sound, film, and photography—explores humanity’s entanglement with nature. “The only thing I ask for from a new work, is for it to bring me to places I didn’t even know existed before,” says Steegmann Mangrané. “I love finding myself at the beginning of a process and trying to do things I don’t know how to do.”

Believing art is a collective pursuit, he collaborates with specialists across disciplines to challenge the illusion of human separation from the natural world. His 2023 exhibition, A Leaf Instead of an Eye, spanning 25 years of work, confronted ecological crises through both physical and digital art. Now on sabbatical, Steegmann Mangrané is reimagining his practice—seeking a slower, more tactile, and deeply experimental approach to art. “The world is going to change in a scale and at a speed of which we have never seen before. It’s going to be extremely important to have a sharp imagination,” he explains. “It’s difficult to say how such changes will impact my practice or my thinking of art, but I’m already sure I want it to be slower, more sensual, more handmade, more fragile, more experimental, more raw, more essential, more alive.”

A Leaf Shapes the Eye.
by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, 2023
courtesy the artist,
MACBA
Museu d‘Art Contemporani de Barcelona,
Mendes Wood DM,
São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York
and Esther Schipper Berlin/Paris/Seoul
photography. Andrea Rossetti

Learn more about Maison Ruinart at ruinart.com.

Get your print copy of Schön! alive at Amazon.
Download your eBook.

words. Raegan Rubin