GUO PEI’S namesake label emerged on the global fashion radar four years ago when Rihanna walked the 2015 Met Gala red carpet in an opulent dress - fox-fur trimmed, heavily embroidered with florals, weighing at 25kg and appropriately named the Yellow Queen.
Now the dress that took 6,000 hours to create is on display, together with 28 other dresses by the Chinese couturière at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in Singapore as part of its Season of Chinese Art series, in an exhibition titled Guo Pei: Chinese Art and Couture.
The exquisite showcase examines the broader themes of Chinese art history, its profound impact and how Chinese aesthetics and traditions are being reimagined for the contemporary world today.
Guo Pei’s dramatic, sculptural works of art reveal its intricacies beyond the presence of the fashion runway.
They reflect influences of Chinese imperial art and mythology as points of encounter and departure, from the past that inspires the present, where traditions are revisited and revived to keep heritage alive.
The exhibition space is segmented into three sections. In ‘Gold is the Colour of my Soul’, Guo Pei’s iconic yellow and gold works reflect the historical significance of colour, techniques and materials strongly associated with imperial China.
Through ‘China and the World’, her hybrid designs parallel Chinese export art in blending Chinese imagery creatively with Western silhouettes and tailoring.
In ‘Treasured Heirlooms: Chinese Bridal Dress’, Guo Pei’s haute couture reinterpretations continue to grow in an attempt to modernise traditional bridal wear with its strong Peranakan connection.
Every sightline in the exhibition space emphasises a visual dialogue between the historical and the contemporary through the deliberate juxtaposition of Chinese art masterpieces and Guo Pei’s masterworks.
For instance, the Magnificent Gold explores prevalent Buddhist symbols in Chinese art, similar to the kind used to produce thangkas (paintings or embroideries on scrolls) depicting Buddhist deities and scenes.
The dress has also been hailed by the China National Silk Museum as “the birth of haute couture in China” for its artistic and technical craftsmanship.
In another dialogue, Guo Pei’s sculptural masterpiece Blue-and-White Porcelain that took 8,000 hours to complete was inspired by its design and technique.
Like, porcelain, the designs were hand-drawn and hand-painted, skillfully draped to achieve a ceramic shard-like structure.
Guo Pei: Chinese Art and Couture is the first fashion-oriented exhibition at ACM. It will be open from June 15 to Sept 15 at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore. Admission charges apply. For more, visit www.acm.org.sg.
