main partner
23—26.04.26 Brussels Expo
main partner
Conversations with Nature
Maison Ruinart 2026 Carte Blanche by Tadashi Kawamata
Discreet, alert, attuned. We glimpse life stirring around us. From insects to birds, tiny hidden fauna inhabits the landscapes at its own scale. Fragile shelters, open to wind and rain, evoke the delicate balance on which our ecosystem rests. As we sense the weather shifting, clouds announce increasingly sudden change. A climate evolving, transforming. Mist settles on the vines, the sun’s warmth brushes the ripening grapes, a chill wind stirs the leaves. Perceiving exchanges taking place on the surface. Observing the landscape and its interactions, as a witness and participant, we feel the rhythm of this fragile balance. Tadashi Kawamata invites us to observe the vibrations of nature essential to the harmony of champagne.
In 2026, Maison Ruinart is continuing its Conversations with Nature series with Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata. Famous for in-situ projects made from simple materials – such as planks, chairsand barrels – he is creating a series of artworks for Maison Ruinart, inviting us to observe the vibrations of nature essential to the harmony of champagne. Exposed to wind, water and light, Tadashi Kawamata’s installations for 4RUE DES CRAYÈRES establish an intimate “conversation” with the elements.
Visitors can discover his creative universe and the shifting perceptions created using different scales throughout the year at the contemporary art fairs with which Maison Ruinart has partnered including Art Brussels 2026.
We constantly seek to understand nature better, so we can respect it and highlight the need for harmony with other living things.
— Frédéric Dufour, Président, Maison Ruinart
Born in 1953 in Hokkaidō, Japan, Tadashi Kawamata lives and works in Tokyo and Paris. Growing up in the mountains on the island of Hokkaidō, he dreamed of the bustle and dynamism of the city. At the crossroads between art, architecture and design, his work explores the environmental impacts of reusing materials. Renowned for his in-situ installations built from planks, chairs and barrels, the artist challenges our attachment to the permanence of things, which is constantly questioned by forces of nature. His belvederes, footbridges, fragile piles and shelters are designed to be experienced, inviting us to change our perspective on the places that hosts them and their impermanence.
Represented in France by Mennour, Paris, Tadashi Kawamata has displayed artworks at major international galleries and institutions including Pushkin, Moscow (2018); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010); Toyosu Dome, Tokyo (2010, 2013); HKW, Berlin (2009); Serpentine Gallery, London (1997); and MACBA, Barcelona (1996). He has also been invited to take part in prestigious biennales including Venice Biennale (1982) and Documenta VIII and IX (1987 and 1992).
I’m always drawing even if I don’t have a specific project in mind. It’s a way for me to think with my hands. But the idea really takes shape when I first touch the wood. The drawings prepare my mind; the wood connects with my body.
— Tadashi Kawamata
At Maison Ruinart, art and the environment go hand in hand. Since being founded in the Age of Enlightenment, through the art of champagne making, Ruinart’s approach to nature has been guided by the artists it supports. This relationship is rooted in the conviction that, gifted with visionary talent, artists have the capacity to see what others cannot. Conveying emotion, their work delivers messages that can move and mobilise us.
Art is woven into Ruinart’s DNA, from the commission for a poster by Alphonse Mucha in 1896 – the very first advertisement for a champagne house – to more recent contributions from international artists with shared environmental values. These include the smart sculpture entitled Retour aux Sources (2019) by duo Mouawad + Laurier, which transcribes meteorological data from the vineyard into an immersive sound and light installation.
Convinced art can communicate the importance of preserving biodiversity among different audiences around the world, Maison Ruinart launched Conversations with Nature in partnership with artists also committed to protecting the environment. This international series promotes art that connects, enlightens and transforms us.
Exploring contemporary challenges through the prism of art, Maison Ruinart has collaborated with different artists including Tomás Saraceno, whose performance entitled Movement (2021) illustrated the fragility of our ecosystems. Land art precursor NILS-UDO created a trio of Habitats (2022) that stand in the Maison’s historic Taissy vineyard. Eva Jospin sculpted the strata of the Champagne region’s history and landscapes in cardboard with Promenades (2023). While Marcus Coates created Nature Calendar (2024) that resonates with Ruinart’s efforts to promote biodiversity.
This year, Ruinart has chosen to collaborate with artist Tadashi Kawamata, whose work explores the porosity between art and landscape in the broadest sense. His artworks will be installed at 4 RUE DES CRAYÈRES, the Maison’s emblematic address in the Champagne region, as well as being unveiled at Art Brussels 2026.