JOALI Maldives celebrated six years of operation on 15th November 2024 with a special event, bringing its passion for art, sustainability and nature to life by partnering with the oldest Champagne house in the world, Ruinart.
The brand Ruinart from Reims in France, currently owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy, was founded in 1729 and is known for its connection to art since Andre Ruinart commissioned Czech artist Alphonse Mucha to illustrate a poster of Ruinart in 1895. Since its debut in 2018, JOALI has also brought artists from around the world, and incorporated art in the luxury hospitality sphere in the Maldives.
Sophie Kitching, the renowned British-French artist, displayed an art scene at sunset at the resort’s annual cocktail event. Sophie graduated from École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, and the School of Visual Arts, New York. She is famed for her installations, paintings, sculptures, and works on paper using simple oil, water colors, paints and gold leaves on natural materials. She has collaborated with Maison Ruinart in several events, notably in Frieze NY 2022, in the exhibition ‘Maison 1729’. For the sixth-year celebration of JOALI Maldives, Sophie was commissioned to transform eco-designed second skins and coasters.
Guests were also able to admire Sophie’s Invisible Green Art XXX, 2024 painting, an abstract art piece using a specific tone of green invented in the Georgian/Regency era in England, unique to this series. Transported from its original location in Reims, France, part of the archives of Ruinart, the art piece will be showcased at JOALI Maldives for more than 6 months. The limited-edition hand-painted second skins from Sophie are available to purchase until the art pieces are sold out.
Ruinart also hosted an evening of champagne for the resort guests on 16th November. Fabien Vallérian, the International Director of Arts & Culture at Ruinart commented, “At Maison Ruinart, the protection of nature is at the core of our values; we are committed to supporting artists that create a conversation between humanity and nature through their creativity and craftsmanship. Since 2022, we have collaborated with Sophie Kitching on several artistic commissions, and we believe this project with JOALI is an amazing opportunity for her to discover and explore the ecosystems and beauty of the Maldives.”