Sponsored by HSBC, M+ hosts the first East Asia exhibition of Guo Pei’s haute couture work
As the Lead Sponsor of an M+ Special Exhibition, the bank aims to strengthen everyone’s connection to art, fashion and design
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.]
This September, M+ is celebrating Madame Guo’s haute couture collections with her first major exhibition in East Asia. Part of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the global museum of contemporary visual culture presented “Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination” to the public on September 21. It runs until April 6, 2025.
HSBC is the first Lead Partner of M+ and has sponsored various visual culture programmes of M+ through the #OpenToArt initiative since 2022. Committed as ever to enriching the city’s culture and connecting it to the world, HSBC continues to bring the world’s art pieces to Hong Kong.
With its own long history and a global influence that reaches far beyond its Asian roots, HSBC – the Lead Sponsor of the Special Exhibition – recognised the similarities between the bank and M+, and saw the opportunity to make art in Hong Kong more accessible to all.
The exhibition connects with fashion and design enthusiasts and reveals the transcendent power of fashion and art, which is part of the bank’s goal. Visitors can journey through five overarching themes that each highlight Madame Guo’s international career and designs: The Joy of Life surveys her Garden of Soul (2015) and Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream (2007) collections, in which she combines a fascination with nature with her personal memories. These themes are echoed in paintings and objects from the museum’s collections that are also inspired by fantasies and the natural world.
Luanne Lim, chief executive, Hong Kong, HSBC, says, “We’re genuinely delighted to collaborate with M+ to present the works of another world-renowned female Asian artist in Hong Kong, following the special exhibition on Yayoi Kusama. Madame Guo has dedicated her life to creating beauty and spreading joy through her art. At HSBC, we believe in inspiring people to broaden their horizons, connecting capital, people and their ambitions to opportunities around the world. Our mission is to bring the best of the world to Hong Kong and the best of Hong Kong to the world. This is why we are immensely proud to be the Lead Partner of M+ and to support this magnificent exhibition.”
In China’s reform and opening era, Madame Guo, Guo is among China’s first generation of contemporary fashion designers – and perhaps its most famous.
Known for her career-defining Yellow Queen gown, worn by Rihanna to the 2015 Met Gala, Guo’s work spans nearly four decades through which she has imaginatively blended historic Chinese craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics, global inspiration from her travels, and Chinese and Western tailoring.
As Madame Guo’s reputation for high-quality, bespoke designs has grown, so too has her influence. Having graduated from the Beijing Industry and Trade Technician College, she launched her atelier label Rose Studio in 1997 and soon received commissions for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the annual New Year’s Festival Gala organised by China Central Television (CCTV).
From appearing at China Fashion Week to starring on the cover of Vogue and opening a studio on the prestigious Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, she is now one of the most prolific designers to hail from China.
Working closely with the museum’s lead curator Ikko Yokoyama, Madame Guo says the exhibition “marks an important milestone in my career, bringing decades of my creations to life through artistic conversations in a global museum”.
Featuring more than 40 haute couture show pieces on loan from Rose Studio, the exhibition creatively merges Madame Guo’s collections with works of art and design from M+, forming a network of visual and thematic ideas across artistic practices and cultures.
“I am excited to share my work and ideas with audiences across cultures, who may look at these pieces from different points of view and appreciate them in new ways,” Guo says.
New Tales from the East showcases the 1002 Nights (2009) collection that takes inspiration from Eastern folktales, while East Palace (2019) incorporates ancient Chinese mythological imagery and imperial motifs. This includes the iconic 2009 dress, the Yellow Queen, weighing 25kg (55lbs) and featuring a four-metre-long (13-foot) train; the gown is Madame Guo’s expression of female confidence and strength.
In Transcending Space, Legends (2017) and L’Architecture (2018) reflect on architecture as a rich source of inspiration for Madame Guo, alongside M+ collections that reveal how other artists have found visual inspiration in architecture and design.
Exploring histories, beliefs and ancestral stories, Ethereal Mythologies includes Legend of the Dragon (2012) and Elysium (2018). And lastly, On Dreams and Reality reveals Guo’s reflections on time and space with Encounter (2016) and Samsara (2006), which features Madame Guo’s first haute couture gown, the Magnificent Gold, and is complemented by works that explore human life.
Alongside guided tours, workshops and community activities, M+ presents a series of public programmes for the exhibition, including a talk with Madame Guo that took place on September 21, sponsored by HSBC. Two screenings of Yellow Is Forbidden (2018), Pietra Brettkelly’s documentary that follows Madame Guo through the exclusive world of haute couture, will also take place at M+ Cinema on October 20 and December 15.