Dior and artist Chen Man apologise for ‘immature and ignorant’ photograph that infuriated the Chinese internet
- The photograph featured a stylised Chinese woman and was widely criticised for its portrayal of Asian faces
- Chen, who is from China, said she needed to do a better job showcasing Chinese beauty
“I am Chinese, born and raised, and I deeply love my motherland,” Chen wrote. “I know as an art worker I need to shoulder the responsibility of recording and delivering Chinese culture, showing the Chinese beauty with my work. That is a goal I kept persisting in and want to work for.”
The photo was initially displayed at the Lady Dior exhibition at the West Bund Art Centre, running until November 23. Dior removed the picture after the backlash.
Chen apologised for not “understanding the exhibition thoroughly” and said some of her previous work lacked maturity and “created a bad influence”.
The past work that came under particularly harsh criticism was a piece called “12 Chinese Colours”, which is similar to the viral photograph and features heavily stylised Chinese women wearing heavy makeup, artistic hairstyles and unique costumes.