Guo Pei / China

China born 1967

In her installation for the NGV Triennial, Guo Pei presents ensembles from Legend, 2017, her 2017 spring–summer couture show in Paris. The collection was inspired by the Cathedral of Saint Gall in Switzerland.

Guo’s encounter with the Cathedral followed a visit to the factory of haute couture fabric manufacturer Jakob Schlaepfer in St Gallen, a small town once famous for its textile and embroidery production. Martin Leuthold, the art director of Jakob Schlaepfer, suggested Guo visit the Cathedral of Saint Gall. The moment Guo entered the Cathedral, she was entranced by its spectacular dome paintings depicting heavenly scenes. Although she was due to catch a plane, Guo was captivated and spent the next four hours in the Cathedral, missing her flight. In Guo’s imagination, the details of a new collection were taking shape from what she was seeing – the contrast of light and dark in the dome paintings coupled with the gold of the Cathedral’s ornate metalwork. The awe Guo experienced at the Cathedral of Saint Gall inspired her to create the Legend collection.

BIO

Guo Pei began sewing at a young age and quickly developed a passion for dressmaking. In 1997 she launched her atelier, Rose Studio, with eveningwear designs that attracted the attention of China’s celebrities, royalty and political elite. In 2008, Guo was selected to design the Chinese ceremonial dresses for the Beijing Olympics. Today she employs nearly 500 skilled artisans, including 300 embroiderers and 200 patternmakers, designers and sewers.

Guo’s couture was launched on the international stage in May 2015 when pop star Rihanna wore her canary yellow fur-trimmed gown and cape to the Costume Institute’s annual gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. That same year, Guo was invited to show her collections in the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar, and in July, held her first solo exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The hallmark elaborate excess of Guo’s designs includes dense layers of embroidered colour, swells of beaded semi-precious stones and vast skirt volumes that marry European fabrics with Chinese design heritage.

The NGV thanks Bonaveri for its support of this exhibition.