Every year, the house of
Hennessy reveals its Very Special Limited Edition bottle in collaboration with a well-known creative to curate a one-off custom design. For the first time in the series’ ten-year history, Hennessy is collaborating with a South African artist, Faith XLVII.
She joins creative giants such as contemporary artist Felipe Pantone, street artists Vhils, Shepard Fairey and Osgemeos, graffiti artists Jonone and Futura, and 3-D artist Kaws. Hennessy often works with interdisciplinary street artists like Faith, who epitomise the cognac creator’s values of pushing beyond boundaries to pursue passion through form. Its connection with street artists also fits with Hennessy’s lasting relationship with urban culture and hip-hop.
Pascal Asin, Managing Director of Moët Hennessy Africa and the Middle East, says, ‘It marks an exciting new chapter in the Maison’s tradition of fostering partnerships with artists who’re part of a global movement. Hennessy reaffirms our commitment to supporting emerging talent that strives to bring about positive change at a community level. It’s been a privilege to work with Faith and to reflect on the artistic
synergies between our art forms. We believe the result’s striking and encapsulates much of what we both stand for.’
At the root of Faith XLVII’S artistic journey – from graffiti artist and muralist to studio artist – is her desire to foster healing and awareness about the interconnected nature of the universe. A self-taught talent, Faith XLVII developed her artistic signature independently, building her vision as she grew up in South Africa. Early on, she became a rare break-out artist in the male-dominated graffiti scene. Her signature, Faith XLVII, is formerly known as Faith47, a tag she used to garner initial recognition of her work.
Today, she’s a leading player in the international art scene, yet she sees herself as ‘a citizen of the earth’, part of a wider community of “woke” artists. She’s a fearless multidisciplinary artist whose visual language spans found and reclaimed objects, collages, painting, video installations and printmaking.
She addresses universal issues from the female perspective, and says her tenth-anniversary collaboration with Hennessy is part of a new cycle of creation for her.
‘It dovetails perfectly with things I’m always thinking about: the cycles of nature, the phases of the moon, the seasons and a circle-like cyclical time – and how all of these things make us alive.’
Her powerful work of art for the tenth Hennessy
Very Special Limited Edition captures the cycles of nature, focusing on the sun and the moon, and grapevines accentuated in gold leaf. She found immediate synergy between Hennessy’s artistic process and hers, describing both as a ‘form of alchemy’.
‘In my work, I take the time to seek out form and be considerate of raw materials. There’s a kind of organic alchemy to the process, which is also how Hennessy works. In a way, we’re both creating something new from raw substances.’
Her design features natural colours, combining gold elements with peachy, sunset tones. Striking graphic lettering pays tribute to the chalk inscriptions on age-old barrels stored in the Founder’s Cellar in Cognac.
It marks a noteworthy moment in Faith’s career, but also an evolution in Hennessy’s horizon. The House of Hennessy will continue to take its celebration of urban culture to new frontiers, welcoming artistic expression from gamechanging creatives across the globe.
The Limited Edition
bottle will be available for purchase through
hennessy.com