Gucci Cosmos, a cutting-edge exhibition of the House’s most iconic designs from its 102-year history. Opening at the West Bund Art Center, Shanghai, on 28 April 2023 and runs until 25 June. The exhibition will then tour the world. This playful and immersive voyage that spirals backwards and forwards through decades is both a love letter to Gucci’s Florentine roots and a paean to its enduring creativity.
Curated by eminent Italian fashion theorist and critic Maria Luisa Frisa, this playful voyage through Gucci’s past, present and future is experienced across eight exhibition ‘worlds’ that draw together treasures – many previously unseen – from the Gucci Archive.
World 1: Portals
Revolving around the spirit of travel that has defined the House since 1921, luggage from past and present come together in a continuous loop.
World 2: Zoetrope
A historic cinematic mechanism animates the equestrian heritage of the House, portrayed through the emblematic Horsebit and Web.
World 3: Eden
Inspired by the Floral print created in 1966, a larger-than-life garden reflects the House’s longstanding fascination with nature.
World 4: Two
A set of statues stage a dialogue on how fashion defines the body and vice versa through the House’s variations on sartorial silhouettes.
World 5: Archivio
A labyrinth that winds through the history of the House’s most iconic handbags, reminiscent of the Gucci Archive’s organization in Palazzo Settimanni.
World 6: Cabinet of Wonders
A pulsing constellation of artefacts portraying the House’s full design range, as well as how these objects persist in the memory of fashion.
World 7: Carousel
A fashion show and a dance across time presenting decade-defining looks from the House’s Creative Directors.
World 8: Duomo
While Gucci has continuously embodied and transfigured the Zeitgeist throughout its first century of boundless creativity, it has always remained anchored in its spiritual and aesthetic home, the city of Florence. Gucci Cosmos fittingly culminates in ‘Duomo’, a spectacular homage to the city.
