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Cyril Duval (born December 31, 1977), who works under the name Item Idem, is a French conceptual artist, designer, and filmmaker. He lives and works in
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
, Taiwan.


Biography

Duval was born in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France, in 1977. His mother worked for the luxury goods manufacturer
Hermès Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...
, while his father was an interior decorator. Duval studied for six years at the
École nationale supérieure d'arts de Paris-Cergy The École nationale supérieure d'arts de Paris Cergy is a National public Art school, school of art and design established in Cergy-Pontoise. It is one of the five National Art schools in France, run by the French Ministry of Culture (France). ...
, before moving to Tokyo in 2004.


Career

Duval's work encompasses conceptual art, film, sculpture, product design, and visual communication. His alter ego Item Idem (Latin for "the same"), operates as a brand for the artist, whose work often builds on top of existing fashion and retail brands.
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
reviewed one of Duval's performances as "Celine Dion at the Oscars channeling René Magritte," while the writer John Stones has described the artist's persona as "Austin Powers pretending to be Philippe Starck, art directed by Marcel Duchamp and scripted by Oscar Wilde."


Retail design and installations

In 2004, Duval was discovered by Sarah Andelman, the creative director of
Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...
. The Paris-based boutique teamed Duval up with the Japanese fashion label
Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons (CDG, ) is a Japanese fashion label, founded by Rei Kawakubo in 1969. It is based in Paris, where its flagship store is located. Other than fashion, the label has expanded to include jewelry and perfume (under the brand Comme ...
in Tokyo. His work began to incorporate interior design and conceptual installations. In 2004, Duval collaborated with other artists on a relational aesthetics-inspired, multidisciplinary space called ''Caniche Courage'', and later transformed his three-story
Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
residence into a living exhibition. Duval initiated a series of staged retail and working environments, beginning with ''The Wrong Store'' (2006) in Paris, a collaboration with Tobi Wong conceived as an ersatz gift-shop counterpart to
Maurizio Cattelan Maurizio Cattelan (; born 21 September 1960) is an Italian visual artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealistic sculptures and installations, Cattelan's practice also includes curating and publishing. His Satire, satirical approach to art has re ...
's ''Wrong Gallery''. Back in Tokyo, he transformed the window display of a fashion boutique into a temporary work space titled ''The Wrong Office'', which he followed up with ''The Wrong Motel''. Duval collaborated with Bernhard Willhelm on the German fashion designer's flagship store at the PARCO department store in Shibuya, Tokyo. The shop's re-use of cardboard, plastic, and rope materials was inspired by the resourcefulness of Japan's homeless communities. The store won the Best Shop Concept for
FRAME A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...
magazine's 2007 Great Indoors Award. In 2009, Duval participated in the Cycles and Seasons fashion and art event in Moscow. In 2011, Duval was the first artist-in-residence at BLESS HOME, an apartment-cum-shop in Berlin, which became his temporary studio while serving as the art director for
Bruce LaBruce Bruce LaBruce (born January 3, 1964) is a Canadian artist, writer, filmmaker, photographer, and underground director based in Toronto. Life and career LaBruce was born in Tiverton, Ontario. He has claimed both Justin Stewart and Bryan Bruce a ...
's production of '' Pierrot Lunaire''. In 2015, he built an installation as an interior for
Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...
's Art House for Art Basel Hong Kong. Duval has worked with a number of art publications, including as the Fashion Director for
Tokion ''Tokion'' is a Japanese-based magazine covering art, fashion, music and film first published in Japan in 1996, followed by United States, UK, and Hong Kong editions. The magazine's makers also produced the annual Creativity Now Conference, a wee ...
(2005), Fashion Features Director for Modern Weekly China (2013), Special Projects coordinator for
Flash Art ''Flash Art'' is a contemporary art magazine, and an Italian and international publishing house. Originally published bilingually, both in Italian and in English, since 1978 is published in two separate editions, Flash Art Italia (Italian) and ...
(2006), and as a collaborator with
032c ''032c'' magazine is a bi-annual, English-language contemporary culture magazine that covers art, fashion, and politics. It was founded in 2001 by Joerg Koch and Sandra von Mayer-Myrtenhain and is published in Berlin. History The magazine was fo ...
, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and LEAP Magazine. He has also worked on large-scale commercial projects for CELINE and Ford.


Exhibitions and collaborations

In 2007, Duval reconfigured CELINE's Tokyo store to host his exhibition ''Displaysthetics'' during DesignTide Tokyo. In 2008, he participated in Fredric Snitzer Gallery's show in Miami, ''Death by Basel'', with an oversized
Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...
logo in the style of
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
Golden Arches The Golden Arches are the symbol of McDonald's, the global fast-food restaurant chain. Originally, real arches were part of the restaurant design. They were incorporated into the chain's logo in 1962, which resembled a stylized restaurant, and i ...
, as a comparison of the brands and their markets. For
AA Bronson AA Bronson (born Michael Tims in Vancouver in 1946) is an artist. He was a founding member of the artists' group General Idea, was president and director of Printed Matter, Inc., and started the NY Art Book Fair and the LA Art Book Fair. Ea ...
's School for Young Shaman's exhibition in New York, Duval fashioned a cape out of Louis Vuitton bags and melted car tires, which was an homage to
Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( ; ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and Aesthetics, art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism and sociology. With Heinrich Böll, , Caroline Tisdall, Rober ...
. For the exhibition ''Dysfashional'' at the Garage Museum in Moscow in 2010, Duval created a work titled ''Mount Blushmore'', a crystal engraving which combined images of fashion icons
Anna Wintour Dame Anna Wintour ( ; born 3 November 1949) is a British-American media executive, who has been serving as editor-in-chief of '' Vogue'' since 1988. Wintour has also served as global chief content officer of Condé Nast since 2020, where she o ...
,
Donatella Versace Donatella Francesca Versace (; born 2 May 1955), sometimes simply referred to mononymously as Donatella, is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion com ...
,
John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...
and
Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...
. In 2014, Duval mounted his first solo exhibition at Johannes Vogt, New York, titled ''Voir Dire''. In 2016, Duval participated in the Work in Progress artist residency in Times Square, New York. That same year, he held an exhibition titled ''Method of Loci'' at The Breeder Gallery in Athens, Greece, and collaborated with
Flash Art ''Flash Art'' is a contemporary art magazine, and an Italian and international publishing house. Originally published bilingually, both in Italian and in English, since 1978 is published in two separate editions, Flash Art Italia (Italian) and ...
Special Projects in a special presentation at
Paramount Ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. Movie ...
. Duval has exhibited at the
Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...
, the Garage Museum,
MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...
, and
Palais de Tokyo The Palais de Tokyo (''Tokyo Palace'') is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, facing the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs to ...
. His work has been featured in
032c ''032c'' magazine is a bi-annual, English-language contemporary culture magazine that covers art, fashion, and politics. It was founded in 2001 by Joerg Koch and Sandra von Mayer-Myrtenhain and is published in Berlin. History The magazine was fo ...
, Casa BRUTUS,
FRAME A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...
,
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
,
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' ( ...
,
Harper’s Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
Korea, and WWD.


Shanzhai Biennial

Duval is the co-founder of the artists collective Shanzhai Biennial with stylist Avena Gallagher and artist Babak Radboy. The collective describes itself as a "multinational brand posing as an art-project posing as an icmultinational brand posing as a biennial", "a pure brand unencumbered by products", in other words a "meta-brand". The name is meant to evoke a bi-annual art exhibition, but instead of taking a city as its namesake, it refers to the Shanzhai counterfeit consumer goods industry in China, and the intentionally incorrect appropriation of luxury brand names. Inspired by knockoff goods in Manhattan's Chinatown, the collective was initiated as a critique of the art and fashion industries, as well as a celebration of the ingenuity and humour of Shanzhai culture. The collective undertakes projects by invitation from cultural institutions or brands, and highlights the aspect of Shanzhai that M+ curator Aric Chen has called the "pop art of China". As a precursor to the collective's projects, Duval curated a selection of Shanzhai objects in collaboration with DIS Magazine. The objects were photographed by Marco Roso for an exhibition titled ''Shanzhai Anxiety'' at
Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...
in 2011. ''Shanzhai Biennial No. 1'' was held during Beijing Design Week 2012. The artists created a fake fashion campaign photo-shoot based on the paintings of Chinese artist Yue Minjun, and installed a false store-front in Beijing's Chaochangdi village, complete with red carpet, rope lines, and a
step and repeat Step(s) or STEP may refer to: Common meanings * Steps, making a staircase * Walking * Dance move * Military step, or march ** Marching Arts Films and television * ''Steps'' (TV series), Hong Kong * ''Step'' (film), US, 2017 Literature * ' ...
press wall. The ad campaign also ran as an eight-page editorial in the Chinese lifestyle magazine ''Modern Weekly''. When the New York Times mistook the project for "a high-concept fashion line" that hadn't yet produced a collection, the artists decided not to issue a correction. ''Shanzhai Biennial No. 2'' consisted of a video depicting the artist Wu Ting Ting dressed as a shampoo bottle and lip-syncing to a Chinese rendition of
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
’s '' Nothing Compares 2 U'', and was displayed on an LED curtain for
MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...
's ''ProBio'' exhibition in 2013. The artists followed this up with ''Shanzhai Biennial No. 3'' at Frieze London 2014, conceived as a branding exercise for the art fair. Working with a local luxury real-estate agency, the artists transformed a booth space into a model real-estate office ostensibly selling a £32 million London mansion, complete with a professional ad campaign, and trafficking in the Frieze brand with a fake luxury bag, and limited edition souvenirs. Shanzhai Biennial has collaborated with the designer Telfar Clemens, the musician Fatima Al Qadiri, as well as TankTV and DIS Magazine, and has exhibited work at West Bund Art & Design,
Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...
, and the
New Museum The New Museum of Contemporary Art is a museum at 235 Bowery, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-nam ...
.


Films

In 2013, Duval created the short film ''Joss'' with Chinese artist Cheng Ran, depicting paper funeral items resembling fashion accessories and commercial brands being destroyed by flames and fire crackers. The film has been screened at
Palais de Tokyo The Palais de Tokyo (''Tokyo Palace'') is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, facing the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs to ...
(Paris), K11 Art Foundation Pop-up Space (Hong Kong), and Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. Duval's short film ''NUII'' premièred at the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 2017. The film features corporate and political symbols being burnt in effigy. His experimental short film ''COLD SINGLE'' was filmed in Taitung, Taiwan, with Taiwanese director Mel Hsieh, inspired by his life in the country. The film was presented for the first time at ASIA NOW at the Paris Asian Art Fair in 2019, with its US première set for Frieze Los Angeles 2020 at the Paramount Theatre.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Item Idem Living people Artists from Paris French conceptual artists French designers 1977 births