After church I went to have lunch with my parents at this new Italian place in town. Then we went to 798, which is like going to the Chelsea district in New York. 798 used to be an area filled with old factories. But all of the factories have since been converted into galleries/artists' studios and 798 is now a bustling artists' village. Chances are if you pick up one of those "Art in China Now!" books in the US, you'll be seeing works from 798. Anyway, there was this Dior exhibition going on which we went to see and I have to say I was super impressed. This was comparable to something that you might see at the MOMA. I have a feeling that any RISD apparel major would go crazy if they saw it. I even got in for free with my student ID!
I couldn't take any photos but I got to see garments from the latest Dior Haute Couture collection! There were dresses dating back to the 1950s designed by Christian Dior himself, and countless dresses designed by John Galliano. Whooo! It was definitely the best exhibition that I've seen in a while. Oh yes I forgot to mention that the exhibit was commissioned by UCCA, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, partnered with Dior. They commissioned 20 contemporary Chinese artists to create installations inspired by Dior gowns and the result was this one giant installation with 20 mini installations within it. It was beautifully done... You walk on this meandering bamboo runway that goes through room after room of installation before arriving in this open space showcasing more pieces integrated with Dior gowns. It was very architectural, with lots of modern design elements, but earthy at the same time. Think grassy bamboo forest with giant mirror structures everywhere guiding you through the space. The whole exhibit was really a work of art in itself.
They didn't allow photos but it turns out that I can find lots thanks to Google :D. OMG I'm googling now and I see that Charlize Theron and Eva Green both turned up for the opening. Oh and John Galliano too. I am so starstruck!! Haha... :p
Here are a few pictures:
My middle school French tells me that this says "Women don't wear what they like, they like what they wear."
And some more photos from today:
I think I spotted a bicycle-share program today. I was really excited to see this in Beijing because Megan showed me an article back at RISD about a community bicycle program in Barcelona and I can't wait to try it! 
Yay for Join-Bike!
The door to a coffeehouse at 798!
"Fake" trees?
A modern day terracotta warrior
The Raft of Medusa done with vegetables :p
This reminds me a lot of RISD
Giant Santa hats!
A door at 798
An interesting wall
One of 798's old factory buildings
A building with a PVC pipe facade
Our Christmas tree with un-opened presents because we're waiting for my sister and brother-in-law who are arriving in about 7 hours! This means from tomorrow onwards, my family will be eating out everyday and making the most of Beijing in the 4 short days that we have together :).
Oh, can I borrow one of those dresses for my wedding? Preferably the one on the right in the last Dior picture. It's heavenly!
ReplyDeletehaha, that coffeeshop door is awesome! took me a while to figure out it was the shape of a coffee mug -____-
ReplyDeletei like that picture where the model is juxtaposed with the three school girls. coolio.
I like that giant doll looking thing in the pictures from 798. That thing looks cool!
ReplyDeleteWhy can't we have cool things like this in Providence. =[ Looks like you're having fun Joyce!
(Nick if you didn't get it from my name ;] )