FINE VINES The artist Vik Muniz on his fizzing collaboration with a storied champagne house
Nature is at the root of the collaboration between Vik Muniz and Ruinart, the world’s oldest champagne house. The Brazilian artist made his name by
reinterpreting Old Master paintings with jigsaw pieces, and formed other well-known images from diamonds or dust. He has now created photographic works and an interactive installation influenced by his visit to Champagne.
Muniz was invited to explore the Sillery vineyard in September 2018, before spending five days at Maison Ruinart in Reims a month later. ‘I was very excited by the energy of the harvest,’ he says. ‘Vines have been shaped by humans for many centuries; for me, their unique forms inspire feelings of struggle and resilience, and their gestures embody the passing of time.’ The resulting artworks include a photograph of a giant Chardonnay leaf composed using real leaves, shoots and bunches of grapes from the vineyard; images of branches fashioned out of blackened wood and charcoal; and an installation
based on the stacks of wine bottles Muniz saw in the cellars in Reims. mh Vik Muniz’s ‘Shared Roots’ series will be on display at the Ruinart Art Bar at Frieze, which runs from 3 to 6 October. To coincide with the fair, Adam Handling will serve a themed menu inspired by the collaboration at his restaurant in the Belmond Cadogan
Hotel at 75 Sloane Street, London SW1, available until 13 October.