Ed Templeton
“Coming of Age”, in loving memory and honour of Virgil Abloh, is unveiled at the Fondation Louis Vuitton from 13th to 27th April 2022. An extension of the original “Coming of Age” exhibition, this new physical embodiment and homage of Virgil’s world combines exhibition spaces, events and digital activations, allowing for participation on a global scale.
In 2019, Virgil Abloh curated a group exhibition titled “Coming of Age” in Los Angeles, California. Presented in creative partnership with Little Big Man Gallery, the exhibition centered around the concept, diversities and complexities of male youth and boyhood - traversing class, race, social economics, subcultures, isolation, and camaraderie. “Coming of Age” traveled to Paris, Beijing, Milan, New York, Munich, Tokyo and Seoul, allowing students, artists, and local communities access to a DIY “copy center”, to build and create their own zines with their favorite artworks from the exhibition.
A physical embodiment and homage to Virgil Abloh’s world, “Coming of Age” in Paris regroups, reimagines and expands this original exhibition and its narrative story. A tribute to a hands-on creator, the exhibition encourages activities and participation, combining physical events with digital activations. Visitors become participants, alongside artists, photographers, musicians, directors, and animators. Diverse but united, the participants serve as an illustration of Virgil Abloh’s mission and achievement to democratize the dream embodied by Louis Vuitton, rendering it a domain open to the aspirations of people from all walks of life, all ages, all genders and all races.