Vancouver Art Gallery presents “Guo Pei: Couture Beyond”

The Vancouver Art Gallery Presents:

Guo Pei: Couture Beyond

The intersection between art and fashion has been spectacularly fused in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s current exhibition of the creations of China’s most famous couturiére, Guo Pei.

More than 40 unique, lavish and breathtaking designs are on display, each the result of Guo Pei’s artistic vision, her sense of design and her determination to create pieces that are perfect. Her works are made by hand, often featuring delicate embroidery, Swarovski crystals or 24 karat gold thread. She has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people and made Business of Fashion’s 500 list.

Guo Pei herself was present for a conversation the day before the exhibition opened to the public. Her philosophy and stories are inspirational. Perhaps her most well known design is the sunflower yellow cape worn by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala. It weighs 55 pounds and includes a 16 ft. long train. Guo Pei said that it took her 30 months to complete because she wanted to make something perfect for everyone to see. She created it for her “One Thousand and Two Nights” exhibition, and, a few years later, Rihanna phoned and asked to borrow the cape. Guo Pei doesn’t know celebrities; she is only interested in design and had no idea who Rihanna was. At first, she was not very excited about the idea, but it turned out to be a perfect combination. According to Guo Pei, the cape came alive and combined the inner beauty of Rihanna with her work itself.

Another conversational thread explored her decision to exhibit her designs in a museum. She explained that the life of a fashion trend is quite brief. A design is trendy and then it is gone. She prefers to present in galleries and museums because, where the runway is lively, the museum is quiet. People have time to stop, to study each design and to observe its details. We are touched by details, she believes, and asserts that being human is in the details as well.

In everything she creates, it is the design itself and her effort to create perfect works for people to enjoy which impel her. Visitors to the Vancouver Art Gallery’s exhibition of “Guo Pei: Couture Beyond” are certain to be overwhelmed at how extraordinarily well she is succeeding.