Chinese Artists Fuel Innovation With Collaboration

Luxury, Modern & Contemporary Art — Opinion Piece by Katharine Harris

A recent study on today’s Chinese luxury consumers shows shoppers are choosing premium products over mass products. Tapping into this trend, the past year saw a push by Western luxury brands toward the Chinese consumer through collaboration with contemporary Chinese artists. A movement acknowledged by the Hong Kong-based media company, The Art Gorgeous.

With these trends in mind, The Art Gorgeous is currently hosting its “SuperGorgeous Awards,” which its website says “are a new annual top list celebrating the very best in creative collaborations between art and brands, and arty moments of entertainment and pop culture over the past 12 months.” One specific category celebrates “Art X Brand” collaborations; several of the nominees unite luxury with contemporary Chinese artists.

Most notable is Cao Fei, the first Chinese artist to join BMW for its “Art Car” series. The multi-media artist created Art Car 18, following such names as Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. Displayed at Art Basel, the car was an acknowledgement of China’s evolving relationship with smartphones. The interactive exhibit allowed viewers to point their phones at the black car and AR would transform the car on the screen to see colors and swirls dancing around the vehicle.

Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet worked with artist Sun Xun, breaking into the Chinese art market for the first time with a commissioned piece exhibited at Art Basel. They later paired with Cheng Ren when they commissioned the artist to create a work inspired by the company’s home base in the Swiss Jura Mountains. The result was the short film Circadian Rhythm, which paired the Swiss landscape with the sounds of a mechanical watch.

In a twist on collaboration, Italian fashion house Moncler brought together photographer Annie Leibovitz to photograph Chinese artist Liu Bolin for its fall and spring campaigns. Moncel CEO, Remo Ruffini, said the advertisement was intended for an international audience as they continue to adopt contemporary approach in its goal of innovation.

Other examples of the Art x Brand nominees for the SuperGorgeous Awards include Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with American artist Jeff Koons for their masterpiece collection bags, as well as Contemporary artist KAWS work with Nike and Alex Israel’s partnership with Vilebrequin.

KAWS X Nike
Air Jordan
Jordan 4 Retro KAWS, Cool Grey/White, 2017
Size 11, Original Box, Deadstock