Isabelle Wisniak has a flair for sniffing out the uncommon, the exceptional. Her darting eyes, like a squirrel’s (to which she bears a freckled resemblance) are peerless for spotting – and exhibiting – extraordinary artists. With one condition: their works (photographs, pictures, sculptures, etc.) must portray one of her beloved animals. Never mind if its birthday suit is fur, feathers, scales, a carapace or other accessories, horns or moustaches.
Hold it: Isabelle may not be sectarian, but she is very demanding. Her criteria are stringent. An animal, okay, but its tale must be told with talent, humor, originality, beauty and tenderness.
This is the central focus of the magical venue created by our busy bee: an authentic cabinet of curiosities, where art rubs shoulders with a collection of unusual objects (wood, fabric, metal, precious or otherwise, ceramic) specially commissioned from artists, plus books and magazines. The unique and bewildering blend makes her gallery enjoyable to all publics without becoming a boutique. A truly enchanted bestiary, regularly replenished In accordance with Isabelle’s crushes, which are never scratches.
Marie-Françoise Colombani
Isabelle Wisniak © Sylvie Boulloud
Isabelle Wisniak is a strange bird. And she owns a dog. Droopy. From time immemorial, the Chinese have consulted the I Ching before taking major decisions; Isabelle’s crystal ball is her quadruped. Happily, the creature wasn’t born yesterday, it’s thirteen and a half years old, loves art and its animal colleagues. Droopy gets the message across to its mistress in a language they alone understand. Even the great Champollion would have given up in despair. They are equal partners in their animal adventure. Droopy handles security and issues practical ideas, and Isabelle, with her eagle eye, unearths uncommon works and objects for the bijou of a gallery planted in a sloping street, at 11 rue de la Calade. So you don’t need a degree in psychology to guess where the name FLAIR Galerie came from. This haven of peace and contentment, dedicated to animal representations in all forms of art, photography, painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, design, books, is one of a kind, I know of no other.
Cyrille Putman
Texts translated in english by Nissim Marshall.
Droopy – DR
After studying piano at Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Isabelle Wisniak began her career at the magazine Egoïste. She went on to be photographers’ agent, press attaché for Fnac photo Galleries, for temporary exhibitions at the Conciergerie, several art galleries, and lately, communication director of “a-part”, International Contemporary Art Festival in the Alpilles. On April 2015, she opens in Arles a contemporary art gallery dedicated to animal representation, FLAIR Galerie.