AWAKE
X
MOHAMED KAHOUADJI
« NAGORI FUJI »
AN EXCLUSIVE COLLABORATION BASED ON ART AND THE PASSAGE OF TIME.
A self-taught painter and sculptor, Mohamed Kahouadji saw the birth of the brand and has never ceased to support and embellish it, through his presence or his art. This special edition is a hymn to the beauty of the world, on a model initially designed to protect it, and the fruit of a shared vision of our relationship with the Earth, the passing of time and the seasons. This is the ultimate artistic and poetic project for a timepiece that has become iconic, conveying meaning and messages, and it seemed only natural that we should entrust it to him.
Welcome to the colorful universe of Mohamed Kahouadji.
Nostalgia for the past season
“Over the course of our discussions with the Awake team, we have tirelessly refined our project to make it even more coherent. Thinking back over the rich history of this model, which has become a symbol, we came up with a series of 4 dials, all inspired by the poetic concept of the Nagori, embodying the nostalgia of time gone by, which will never return, but which carries with it new horizons and new possibilities...." M.K
“Each dial of this La Bleue “NAGORI FUJI” edition symbolizes a season and incorporates elements of color and texture, sensations linked to it. The backstory is poetic in more than one way since it highlights Nature and the changes that take place in it with the seasons, while integrating strong symbols of Japanese culture. A poetic vision and reflection making each watch a totally unique model, since it is made by hand and subtly different from the model that follows or precedes it. M.K
Each watch dial is hand-painted by the artist in his Saint-Nazaire studio, and takes almost an hour of concentrated work. 10 coats of pure pigment-based paint and 11 coats of selective varnish-glaze are needed to create this poetic interpretation of the passing of time, or of time to come, making each model totally unique and subtly different from the model that follows or precedes it.
In keeping with ancestral Japanese know-how, Mohamed Kahouadji works mainly with paint or ink made from pure pigments, to give his colours greater intensity. In constructing his harmonious worlds, he manipulates a wide range of techniques. A series of visual experiments that lead him to work with acrylic, pure pigment, posca, ink, watercolour and selective varnish. Superimposing up to twenty layers of paint to achieve unprecedented results, he wrings out the techniques, throws himself into a new discipline, consumes it, and starts again, always in search of greater mastery.
Each watch dial is hand-painted by the artist in his Saint-Nazaire studio, and takes almost an hour of concentrated work. 10 coats of pure pigment-based paint and 11 coats of selective varnish-glaze are needed to create this poetic interpretation of the passing of time, or of time to come, making each model totally unique and subtly different from the model that follows or precedes it.
In keeping with ancestral Japanese know-how, Mohamed Kahouadji works mainly with paint or ink made from pure pigments, to give his colours greater intensity. In constructing his harmonious worlds, he manipulates a wide range of techniques. A series of visual experiments that lead him to work with acrylic, pure pigment, posca, ink, watercolour and selective varnish. Superimposing up to twenty layers of paint to achieve unprecedented results, he wrings out the techniques, throws himself into a new discipline, consumes it, and starts again, always in search of greater mastery.
EACH MODEL IS ACCOMPANIED BY A SIGNED RISOGRAPHY BY THE ARTIST.
Risography is an artistic and committed choice, in line with our shared values, on the borderline between digital printing and screen printing. It has a very distinctive and unique aesthetic based on the superimposition of vivid colours, giving a screened finish with an artisanal accent that is at the root of its success. Risography is environmentally friendly and consumes very little energy. It uses inks made entirely from soya and without any solvents. It's a virtuous way of introducing you to the colourful world of Mohamed Kahouadji.
Mohamed takes on the theme of the seasons and more particularly autumn, "Who" by associating it with an iconography composed of elements occupying a particular place in the Japanese imagination. Using his paints based on pure pigments, the artist offers here an intense contrast between the red, orange and yellow autumnal hues of the maple forest in the center, acting as a line of symmetry, and the darker colors of on either side, representing Mount Fuji enveloped by a full moon night, and reflected in the sea.
“This work is a meditation on seasonality but not only: imbued with the concept of Nagori, it is more subtle and profound. “NAGURI FUJI AKI” refers us to our own emotions and acts as a metaphor for the very particular relationship of humans to the passing of time, of our behavior in the face of the temporalities that govern our existence.” M.K.
The Risograph is an environmentally friendly device with a very low overall impact: it is a cold printing process which consumes very little energy and uses inks without any solvent, composed only of soy. So many elements that are an integral part of the ecological philosophy of risography and the “ideal” of its inventor to which we wanted to stick to to offer you this work by Mohamed Kahouadji in A3 format.
To produce our risographs, we have been collaborating since 2022 with the Fidèle studio, based in the 10th arrondissement of Paris and a real reference in the field.
Mohamed takes on the theme of the seasons and more particularly autumn, "Who" by associating it with an iconography composed of elements occupying a particular place in the Japanese imagination. Using his paints based on pure pigments, the artist offers here an intense contrast between the red, orange and yellow autumnal hues of the maple forest in the center, acting as a line of symmetry, and the darker colors of on either side, representing Mount Fuji enveloped by a full moon night, and reflected in the sea.
“This work is a meditation on seasonality but not only: imbued with the concept of Nagori, it is more subtle and profound. “NAGURI FUJI AKI” refers us to our own emotions and acts as a metaphor for the very particular relationship of humans to the passing of time, of our behavior in the face of the temporalities that govern our existence.” M.K.
The Risograph is an environmentally friendly device with a very low overall impact: it is a cold printing process which consumes very little energy and uses inks without any solvent, composed only of soy. So many elements that are an integral part of the ecological philosophy of risography and the “ideal” of its inventor to which we wanted to stick to to offer you this work by Mohamed Kahouadji in A3 format.
To produce our risographs, we have been collaborating since 2022 with the Fidèle studio, based in the 10th arrondissement of Paris and a real reference in the field.