An overview of the multifaceted work of designer and set designer David Dubois, with a text by critic Jeanne Quéheillard.
Initiated in 2023 by the EPCC Cité du design–Ésad Saint Étienne, Présent > < Futur is a program of monographic exhibitions that reveals a profusion of expressions and a multiplicity of approaches, confirming the vitality of contemporary design. Each bilingual volume contains around sixty illustrated pages, introduced by a commissioned text from an author. The fourth volume is dedicated to the multifaceted work of French designer David Dubois, presented in the exhibition "En mouvement," from November 6, 2025, to March 1, 2026.
David Dubois develops experiments at the crossroads of fashion, art, and design. He enjoys placing himself at the service of a request within a spirit of shared energy. "The shapes that emerge often do so through collaborations with other artists, performers, video-makers, publishers... The discoveries are delightful. There is always an element of play," notes critic Jeanne Quéheillard in her introductory text.
<Working with what is at hand, turning constraints into opportunities, and reinventing functions lead David Dubois to combine, recycle, and adapt the use of objects in unexpected and innovative ways. The history of Saint-Étienne is intertwined with that of industrial modernity. Today, this region boasts a dense network of companies with expertise and a readiness to engage with design. The Cité du design–Ésad Saint Étienne is a unique place, endowed with the legitimacy required to facilitate this dialogue around unprecedented experimentation that carries the promise of future innovation.
<As part of Présent > < Futur, David Dubois chose to collaborate with the textile workshop D'Ennery, a quilting specialist recognized as an "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (Living Heritage Company), to develop a proposal for a luminaire made from flexible material. This research—like the other projects exhibited and published—is accompanied by commentary from the designer himself, offering insight into his practice.
David Dubois (born 1971 in Dinan, France) stands at the crossroads of multiple practices, cultivating connections with design, contemporary art, graphic design, fashion, and dance. After ten years of artistic practice, David Dubois returned to his studies in 2000, enrolling in design at ENSCI–Les Ateliers. While still a student, he met Désirée Heiss and Inès Kaag, founders of the fashion label BLESS, with whom he began a long collaboration (object design, graphic design, scenography) that lasted until 2010. In 2006, he joined Galerie kreo to develop projects ranging from limited-edition pieces and spatial design (such as Christian Lacroix concept stores in New York and Las Vegas) to more industrial objects (Kronenbourg, Lalique…). From 2004 to 2011, Villa Noailles, art center in Hyères, became a privileged ground for his expression, where he produced exhibitions, scenographies, and permanent installations such as the rooms dedicated to Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles.
His ties with the performing arts are close, particularly through collaborations with choreographers Christian Rizzo and Fanny de Chaillé. He has also developed projects for Mudam Luxembourg, the Palais de Tokyo and the Kadist Art Foundation in Paris, Villa Arson in Nice, the Centre International de Recherche sur le Verre et les Arts plastiques (CIRVA) in Marseille, and the Centre International d'Art Verrier (CIAV) in Meisenthal.
He has worked with the galleries Semiose, MICA, FR66, 8+4 / Bernard Chauveau, Minimasterpiece, and A1043. His works are held in the collections of the FNAC (Fonds National d'Art Contemporain), the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the CID Grand-Hornu (Belgium).
