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Celia Zhang
Doctor in Fashion and Tech. Passionate about art, design, fashion, literature and travel. I write whatever I feel like to write.

Exhibition “Utopian Bodies: Fashion Looks Forward” at Liljevalchs, Stockholm/1

On the last day of 2015, I visited the grand exhibition “Utopian Bodies: Fashion Looks Forward” at Liljevalchs gallery in Stockholm. I was quite impressed by the massive objects, the delicate curating techniques, and the beautifully written introductions of themes. This is definitely one of the best fashion exhibitions that I have ever seen in Sweden. In the following I will introduce several galleries that I liked most.

Change

Fashion theorists argue that change and novelty are two most important features of fashion (Kawamura 2005; Wilson 2003). This gallery entitled “Change” is to explore the transformation of aesthetic and social values represented by fashion design. Fashion designers apply new methods and materials to create visual expressions that reveal their ideology and values. It is one of the biggest galleries within the exhibition. Mannequins dressed in different designs are pinned to the walls, which is inspired by the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus’ 18th-century taxonomy work. Some mannequins are lying down on a short table. Altogether, the display gives audiences visual shock.

I categorize the displayed objects into some themes:

Floral romance

Dior by Raf Simons Haute Couture, S/S 2013
Dries Van Noten
Sara Burton for Alexander McQueen, A/W 2012
Richerd Quinn, UK, 2014
Alina Brane, Dreamwards, Sweden, 2013
Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, A/W 2011
Piers Atkinson, La belle au bois, UK,

Black Glamour

Lamija Suljevic, DNA, woven leather, Sweden, 2015
KTZ, A/W 2015, UK

New Material

Craig Green, made of paper and wood, S/S2014 UK
Stephen Jones Millinery. UK. The famous hat designer used unconventional material to create surrealist hats.
Viktor&Rolf, Netherland, Van Gogh Girls, Look 20, made of cotton and wood, Haute couture, S/S 2015
Gucci, S/S 2011
Bea Szenfeld, Very ape, made of paper, S/S 2014

Avant-garde

Manon Kundig, Blowjob, Switzerland, 2011
Fiona Blakeman, A/W 2014, UK.
Ann-sofie Back, Burns in hell, A/W 2009
ACNE Studio, pre-A/W 2013
Chloe, leather dress, A/W 2006