Dior Sculpture
Messenger of Dreams
by Daishi Luo, 2021
Copper, stainless steel
H 100 x W 100 x D 47 cm
Commissioned work
In 2021, Daishi Luo was excited to be invited by the Christian Dior brand as one of the world's 12 outstanding female artists to create sculptures inspired by the classic Miss Dior perfume bottle.
staying true to the couturier's passion for art and women, which never ceased to inspire his creativity, the House of Dior has brought twelve women from the international art scene together for an exceptional carte blanche exhibition，inviting them to express their vision of the iconic Miss Dior bottle,its spirit and its emblematic design codes.
In this commissioned creation, Daishi was inspired by Miss Dior Catherine Dior's courage to pursue self-worth realization and strong will. This reminded her that in contemporary China, more and more women have the courage to pursue freedom and dreams, and are committed to realizing their self-worth. Therefore, she hope to create a sculpture (Messenger of Dreams) that is both graceful and powerful to interpret the spirit of Dior as she understands.
At present, this work and the creations of 11 other artists are currently presented in Château de La Colle Noire, once Christian Dior’s private estate in southern France, and it was opened to the public for the first time from October 15th to November 1st. .
How do you relate copper/steel with Miss Dior?
I was deeply inspired by Catherine Dior's courageous pursuit of self-value realization and strong spirit will. She reminds me that in today’s China society, more and more increasing women pursue freedom and dreams and strive to realize their self-worth in contemporary China. Therefore, I wanted to create a sculpture with beauty and power (named Messenger of Dreams) to interpret the spirit of Miss Dior.
The iconic houndstooth becomes an independent bird after deconstruction, a metaphorical embodiment of a woman. I reconstituted the deconstructed birds into pixel-shaped bird flocks. More than 300 "birds" fly to the sky from the silver bows, just like countless women have the courage to explore themselves and realize the flying spirit of self-worth; on the other hand, they too It seems to fly from the sky to the bow, converging into a dazzling force, shaping a certain brand-new image.
The deconstructed pink houndstooth is copper. I used the blending technique of Chinese ink painting, and the cinnabar ore, homemade medium and copper commonly used in Dunhuang murals to reflect the rich texture of pink. Each bird has a different tone and texture like rose petals, which interprets every unique woman represented by Miss Dior.
The silver bow and the bottle body are stainless steel. They are hand-made using various techniques such as casting and inlay, and show elegance and sophistication in the 1-meter-large volume. Therefore, the iconic elements of Miss Dior, such as houndstooth, bow, pink, silver and bottle body, are made of copper and stainless steel to create a sculpture that is both soft and hard, full of weight.
In this project, I have never thought so carefully about women, women's careers, and the problems encountered in my own growth experience. Although this work is commissioned, it is the Dior spirit I want to express, but it is actually the feminine power I want to convey.
For centuries, women have been regarded as a weaker gender, but this is degraded. Because by my side, from my family to friends, to all kinds of women I have come into contact with in the industry, they are all very good, and they play a key role in society and create great value beyond gender. Therefore, I believe that the identity of women does not limit what we want to achieve, and can even create many novel perspectives and values.