Two French artists have installed a striking exhibition featuring 577 uniquely designed chairs in the courtyard of France's National Archives in Paris, each representing a seat in the French National Assembly. Claire Renard and Jean-Sébastien Blanc created this thought-provoking artwork titled '577 Chairs: The Citizen Hemicycle' as part of Paris Design Week, running through September 14, 2025.
Visitors and tourists gather curiously around the unusual chairs arranged throughout the historic courtyard of the National Archives. Many foreign visitors attempt to decipher the words inscribed on each chair, some easily understood while others prove more challenging. The installation sits within an institution that houses the original manuscript of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, making it a fitting location for an artwork that directly references the 577 parliamentary seats in France's National Assembly.
In response to what they see as threats to democratic institutions, Renard and Blanc have created 577 completely unique chairs, each with different forms and colors corresponding to powerful words painted in black on their surfaces. The artists humanized these secondhand chairs using spray paint and thought-provoking words that challenge concepts of freedom and democracy, ranging from 'diversity' to 'combat,' from 'peace' to 'Republic.' This cloud of words and visual 'faces' serves as a direct commentary on current times of political crisis.
Each chair's design reflects its designated word in creative and often symbolic ways. The chair labeled 'condom' takes on a phallic shape, while ecology-themed chairs marked 'organic' or 'eco' are painted green. The 'love' chair is shaped like a red heart, and the 'vest' chair appears in yellow, referencing France's Yellow Vest movement that began in 2018. The 'hostage' chair depicts a figure in shock, while the 'Liberation' chair features a Phrygian cap, a traditional symbol of freedom.
The two designers sourced all 577 chairs from Leboncoin, France's popular online marketplace for secondhand goods. They then transformed each piece into a unique work of art, giving the discarded furniture a second life and elevating it to artistic status. This approach reflects broader themes of renewal and transformation that echo throughout their commentary on democratic institutions.
Following the exhibition, all chairs will be sold through an auction running until September 21, with an additional series of ten chairs available for purchase on Leboncoin during the week of September 22. The artists have committed to donating all proceeds from these sales to charitable organizations, extending the project's social impact beyond its artistic statement.
The installation represents more than just an art exhibition; it serves as a powerful meditation on the current state of democratic representation and civic engagement. By placing these transformed objects in the sacred space of the National Archives, the artists invite viewers to consider the relationship between individual voices and collective democratic action, making visible the diversity and complexity of modern citizenship.
