THE new spirit of Gucci is nothing if not culturally eclectic. Recent collections have seen the brand revisit and reimagine archives and none more uniquely than the current #GucciGram Tian. Developed from an earlier project which invited artists to interpret and illustrate the GUCCI Blooms and Gucci Caleido motifs, #guccigram tian asks artists to share their fresh prospective on a historic pattern.
Manoth, #GucciGram Tian
In Chinese, Tian can mean sky or heaven; the print represents a vision of the sublime that references Chinese Bird and Flower paintings, a genre dating back to the 10th century. In Gucci Tian, hummingbirds and butterflies sketched in fine calligraphic lines float above a landscape of tree branches and flower blooms, all set against the GG Supreme motif. Curated by House Creative Director Alessandro Michele, the work urges one to look closer, to engage with the imagination and enter surreal worlds that evoke a daydream or distant memory.
Charles Loh #GucciGram Tian
Cao Fei, who participated in Gucci’s No Longer / Not Yet exhibition in Shanghai last October, pictures a pair of Tian slippers in a rundown urban setting, contrasting centuries-old Bird and Flower art with today’s industrialised China. Charles Loh explores the theme even further by setting a terrarium in a landscape of real flowers and branches, all against a backdrop of the print, as if on a stage set.
Cao Fei #GucciGram Tian
Notably, all the contributors are Asian, and in a way, returning the pattern to its source. There is clearly an element of nostalgia in the Tian designs that reference Western orientalist fantasies and 18th-century Chinoiserie. These are the types of nuances that interest Michele, whose work demonstrates a continued willingness to cross between the aesthetics of different time periods. The Tian print and its remixes push that idea further.
Jaesuk Kim #GucciGram Tian
As these artists broadcast their work over Instagram, audiences will see how disparate cultural elements can meld smoothly. It’s an education in cultural syncretism, where no one vision dominates – rather than a clash, #GucciGram Tian represents a confluence of cultures as creative barriers around the world break down in the era of the Internet.
Chinami #GucciGram Tian
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Gucci has also created a micro-site to house the work here. The artworks will also be featured on Gucci social media channels as well as in The Agenda on here.
by Sonia Akther
[…] year, Glass reported Gucci’s House Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s new direction towards the […]