Cover One of the exhibition’s eight worlds: the Carousel
One of the exhibition’s eight worlds: the Carousel
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All eyes were on ‘Gucci Cosmos’ last April 2023. Take a look at the exhibition exploring the House of Gucci’s enduring and iconic designs through the years
Everything in the universe is affected by time—and Gucci knows this. So, when it mounted an exhibition this year to feature the most iconic designs of its 102-year history, it thought of orbs in the skies, that dictated time instead of being affected by it. And in the creative world, Gucci believes it is gravity that is the force that creates and shifts meaningful dialogues and myriad correspondences between designs, creatives and artisans, and society at large.
Thus, Gucci Cosmos was born, an installation resembling a series of cogs and wheels orbiting the cosmos. It was mounted on April 23 and showed till June 2023 on Longteng Avenue in Shanghai.
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Above The exhibition’s facade in Shanghai
The exhibition’s facade in Shanghai
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This playful and immersive voyage that spirals backwards and forwards through decades was a love letter to Gucci’s Florentine roots and creativity. Conceived and designed by renowned British contemporary artist Es Devlin and curated by eminent Italian fashion theorist and critic Maria Luisa Frisa, the installation comprised eight “worlds” that drew together treasures from the Gucci Archive.
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Above Maria Luisa Frisa and Es Devlin
Maria Luisa Frisa and Es Devlin
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“As a creative endeavour and expression of the times, Gucci and its history over the past century can be mapped through an ability to evolve and, more broadly, to expand on the mutability of our consciousness and ability to make cognitive shifts,” said Devlin.
Above The Cabinet of Wonders
The Cabinet of Wonders
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Each world traced a different aspect of the house, from its unwavering principles since its foundation in 1921 to its ever-renewed inspirations. The budding ambitions of founder Guccio Gucci, the pioneering spirit of his sons Aldo and Rodolfo, and the imaginative powers of more recent creative directors Tom Ford, Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele were the core of the viewing experience.
Above The Archivio
The Archivio
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“This project was an extraordinary opportunity for me to traverse the universe of Gucci once again by telling its story through the ever-different lens of the clothes, objects, elements, people and contexts that have made the House an iconic trailblazer within the fashion and collective visual culture for over a century,” Frisa said.
Devlin fused innovative audio, visual and kinetic technology within Gucci Cosmos. Through a bird’s eye view, the layout of the installation is a subtle nod to the industrial heritage of the building in Shanghai where the exhibition first opened—the West Bund Art Centre—evoking the city’s long history of commercial and cultural exchange between Europe and Asia.
Above Portals
Portals
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Attended by known personalities such as Chris Lee, Ni Ni, Xiao Zhan, Shu Qi, Liu Wen, Wen Qi, Chang Chen, Hui Yinghong, Duan Yihong, Song Jia, Lai Guanlin, Song Yanfei, Vanda Margraf, Maizi, Linda Li, Ai Tominaga, Putthipong Assaratanakul (Billkin) and Alvin Chong last April 27, the vernissage took place at the West Bund Art Centre. It was followed by an exclusive cocktail party where Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri welcomed guests.
Read more: Alessandro Michele Says Goodbye to Gucci
Above Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri with Chris Lee
Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri with Chris Lee
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In the evening, Chinese singer and actor Lu Han and Santa, Mika, Nine, Lin Mo and Liu Zhang, who were previously from the international boy group INTO1, serenaded the crowd.
As the guests enjoyed the night with good food and great entertainment, they raised their glasses to toast the exhibition’s launch—proof of the house's successful voyage—and the years to come.
Ni Ni
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“The Gucci Cosmos exhibition is an immersive experience in which the imagination of the future continuously tests the house’s origin story and its history are continuously put to the test by the imagination of the future,” Frisa said.
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Credits
Images: Gucci
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
