A designer handbag, by itself, serves as a posh carrier for objects supporting the everyday, the mundane, the routine. In Lady Dior As Seen By, a traveling exhibition that has made stops across the world – including Sao Paulo, Milan, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul and most recently at Art Basel Hong Kong – the iconic accessory is humanized. She sits in the countryside, wondering about a different life for herself. She drifts in space. She blossoms into other reimaginings, transforming into a bird or sprouting adornments extended from unfulfilled dreams.
“A Loose Thread of Light” (2011)
(photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
The strongest pieces in the 60-item-plus exhibit were the transparent sculptures that exposed the Dior bag as miniature skeletal systems, emitting an eerie aura. Aiko Miyanaga, one of our favorite artists from Art Basel Hong Kong 2014, implemented her signature style of encasing and trapping floating objects in clear containers. Olympia Scarry took the opposite approach, ripping open both sides to emphasize the bag’s hollowness.
“Waiting for Awakening – Lady Dior” (2012)
Naphthalene, mixed media
(photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
“The Lady Has Arrived” (2011)
Cameo glass
(photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
While Art Basel Hong Kong was the latest stop for this exhibit, which has evolved and swapped out pieces over the past seven years, it was not the first time that it had been on display in the city. In 2013, Lady Dior As Seen By was on display for two weeks, coinciding with the relaunch of two Hong Kong flagship boutiques that fall.
Photos: Lady Dior As Seen By – Art Basel Hong Kong 2018
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
Video: Opening night, Miss Dior exhibition, Grand Palais, Paris, France, Nov. 12, 2013
video courtesy of Barracuda Film & TV
The Dior handbag is not the only inspiration for Christian Sior SE label’s traveling art exhibits. This clip from an exhibition in Paris features noted personalities such as Natalie Portman and Sophie Marceau. In this two-week exhibition, 15 female artists were invited to create pieces inspired by the first Dior Parfume from 1947.
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