Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination

M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, is pleased to present Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination, the first major exhibition in East Asia of celebrated Chinese couture artist Guo Pei (b. 1967), organised in close collaboration with the artist and her atelier Rose Studio. This special exhibition will be held in the museum’s Main Hall Gallery with an extra presentation in the public space of the Main Hall on the museum’s ground floor. It will be open to the public from September 21, 2024 to April 6, 2025.

Guo Pei is among China’s first generation of contemporary fashion designers. Spanning nearly four decades, her practice resonates with Asian and global cultural trends over the past century. Guo’s highly imaginative work blends historic Chinese craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics, global inspirations, and Chinese and Western tailoring, demonstrating her ability to continuously deliver haute couture collections in Paris.  At the forefront of rejuvenating traditional Chinese embroidery, Guo, with her team, has adapted many embroidery techniques and couture craftsmanship in the pursuit of creative expression, reviving this intangible cultural heritage to continue its legacy and injecting it with cross-cultural influences.

Curated by Ikko Yokoyama (Lead Curator, Design and Architecture, M+), this exhibition showcases Guo’s creative universe through five main themes that highlight her international career and her unique design journey: The Joy of Life; New Tales from the East; Transcending Space; Ethereal Mythologies; and On Dreams and Reality. They survey more than forty haute couture show pieces in dialogue with works of art and design from the M+ Collections, creating a network of visual and thematic ideas across artistic practices and cultures. Guo’s stunning work reflects her creative philosophy and journey in haute couture as she innovates on tradition and craftsmanship, revealing the transcendent power of fashion and art.  

M+ will present a series of public programmes for Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination throughout the exhibition period, including the opening talk, guided tours, workshops and film screenings to engage various audiences. For more information, please visit mplus.org.hk.

Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition, M+ publishes Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination, a book featuring stunning photographic reproductions of the couture artist’s iconic garments featured in the show alongside design drawings and an interview with Guo about her life and creative practice.

Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination is curated by Ikko Yokoyama (Lead Curator, Design and Architecture, M+) and supported by Wen Bi (Assistant Curator, Design and Architecture, M+) and Mankit Lai (Curatorial Assistant, M+). This exhibition is generously supported by Lead Sponsor HSBC and Travel Partner Cathay.