20th century China through the looking glass of Western fashion designers
An exhibition of costumes and accessories at the Metropolitan Museum in New York focuses on distorted perceptions of Chinesedress to highlight the idea of cultural misrepresentation
The West's view of China has been distorted by inaccurate representations of the country and its culture in the Western media and fashions of the 20th century - that's the idea behind "China Through the Looking Glass", a new exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The show, which runs until August 16, focuses on the interplay between Chinese clothing and Western fashion designers, and features more than 140 costumes and accessories.
The idea of cultural misappropriation is further highlighted by a series of video installations featuring clips of films set in China, edited by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, who served as the exhibition's artistic director. The clips are shown as installations in a complex and intriguing exhibition that presents the clothes in The Met's China galleries among furniture and statues from the collection, as well as in the Anna Wintour Costume Centre.
"One of the most fascinating parts of this journey was having the opportunity to revisit the Western perspective on China through the lens of early Hollywood," says Wong. "Whether it was Fred Astaire playing a fan-dancing Chinese man or Anna May Wong in one of her signature 'dragon lady' roles, it is safe to say that most of the depictions of China were far from authentic."
The fashion designers who are the focus of the show fared little better, adds Wong, noting their misinformed attempts to create Chinese styles presented a fantastical view of the country: "The fashion designers and tastemakers of that period took these distorted images as their inspiration and went on to create a Western aesthetic with new layers of meaning that was unique," he says.