Saba Niknam and Les ÉpouxP
The Art of Hairstyling & In the Shadow of Wonder
Born out of the convergence of contemporary art and the hat-making expertise of the Quercy-Caussadais region, this exhibition brings together the works of the artist Saba Niknam and the duo Les ÉpouxP (Pascale and Damien Peyret). By bringing their respective worlds together within a single exhibition, the exhibition celebrates craftsmanship, the passing on of traditions, and the artistic reinvention of everyday objects and adornments.
This exhibition forms part of the Gestes. Arts et savoir-faire en Occitanie programme at Les Abattoirs. The various exhibitions that make up the programme explore the work of artist-craftspeople who are reinventing our relationship with the act of making and with materials, whilst mapping the region’s traditional skills.
Saba Niknam. The Art of Headdresses
Committed to the preservation and remembrance of the cultural heritage of the Middle East and Asia, Saba Niknam has been leading the project A Journey Through Headdresses since 2020, based on ethnographic research. In the spring of 2026, the artist was welcomed as an artist-in-residence at the Crambes millinery in Caussade, a company awarded the ‘Living Heritage Enterprise’ label. Immersed amongst the artisans, she enriches her approach by combining her research with traditional French hat-making techniques (shaping, fulling, and working with felt and straw). Her works blend recycled materials with age-old techniques to explore the social, symbolic and spiritual dimensions of headwear.
Les ÉpouxP. In the shadow of the marvellous
Based in Puylaroque, Pascale and Damien Peyret (Les ÉpouxP) are developing a body of work rooted in local memory and community dynamics. As part of the Gestes – arts et savoir-faire en Occitanie programme, the duo learnt the art of weaving and making straw hats with the associations ‘Chapeau Caussade’ and ‘La Paillole de Septfonds’. From this training emerged the installation À l’ombre du merveilleux (In the Shadow of the Marvellous), a collection of ‘ombrellinos’ (sculptural ceremonial parasols) made from woven straw. Inspired by ceremonial objects, these parasols serve as a medium for a poetic and socially engaged reflection on the contemporary world.
This exhibition follows on from the artists’ solo exhibitions:
Saba Niknam
The Art of Headdresses
12 June to 4 October 2026
At the Crambes company in Caussade
Les EpouxP
In the Shadow of the Marvellous
12 June to 26 July 2026
At the Artists’ Studio in Puylaroque
Informations pratiques
Location
Espace des Augustins
27 Rue des Augustins, Montauban (82)
Opening on Wednesday 14 October at 6.30 pm