Gäelle Choisne

born in 1985, Cherbourg - lives and works in Fougères and Paris

Fortune Cookies is an installation made of thousands of handmade clay objects. Some contain a seed or a hidden message inside. The ongoing production honors the unseen labor behind them and the shared experience of making food together.
Breaking a cookie reveals its secret; leaving it closed preserves the mystery. The work explores ideas of value, cultural identity, and hidden histories. Though often linked to Chinese culture, fortune cookies are actually an American invention. The artist uses them to question how cultural elements are misunderstood or altered when removed from context.
Choisne’s practice is shaped by personal history and French-Haitian heritage. She engages with political and ecological themes within Creole culture, a result of colonial European rule in the Caribbean.

Fortune Cookies, 2025, Installation and performance, Air dry clay with a message and a Moringa seed inside, pine wood platform, brass, stone sculptures, Dimensions variable, Two performers wearing “Torus T-shirts” and “Torus capes”, Sessions held on Saturdays (60-90 min each). Performer: Chou Yu cheng, Li Ning Jyun, Technical drawings: Théo Castaings and Siméon Starck, Courtesy of the artist and gallery Air de Paris.