[DLA] Artist Mircea Cantor revisits the Lady Dior through an entrancing interplay of optical effects, textures and perspectives

Welcome to the Dior Talks podcast series dedicated to the eighth edition of Dior Lady Art, hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this highly-anticipated edition, 12 artists from around the world were invited to transform the iconic Lady Dior handbag into a unique piece of art. In this new episode, we immerse ourselves in the poetic universe of Mircea Cantor, an internationally renowned Romanian artist whose works, suspended between dream and reality, lucidly reflect his commitment to contemporary society. Cantor’s singular vision is embodied in a polymorphous practice that utilizes a variety of media, such as video, animation, sculpture, drawing, photography and performance but also collaborations with artisans for the conception of unprecedented installations, with a view to broadening the field of knowledge through this savoir-faire. Awarded the Marcel Duchamp Prize in 2011, his works are presented in prestigious international collections, notably the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.The artist’s protean approach plays out in two Lady Dior creations that feature bewitching optical effects, textures and perspectives. Dressed by turns in black or beige leather, they are adorned with captivating embroidery evoking the beauty of the garden of Eden, filled with flowers of every variety, inspired by a traditional gilet from western Romania. In contrast, the graphic lines of the bag’s cannage motif are highlighted by leather cord, an essential element of embroidery and leatherwork symbolizing connection, transmission and continuity. Completing the designs, the handles bear the words “make heaven out of what you have” – in French, English and Romanian – a true artist’s manifesto, while the charms are reinvented in an elaborate golden version, borrowed from the lexicon of jewelry. As a finishing touch, the inside of each bag contains a hand-designed silk scarf signed by Cantor as well as a logbook annotated by the artist.Tune in to the episode to learn more about the genesis of this exceptional project.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Dior Talks* is delighted to introduce its latest podcast series dedicated to the Dior Lady Art project. Tune in to hear the stories and inspirations behind a new round of artist interpretations of the House’s iconic Lady Dior bag. An iconic object of desire with an extraordinary destiny that continues to be shaped by concepts and events forever transcending the boundaries of innovation and inventiveness. Thus, since 2016, for the Dior Lady Art project, the house has given international artists carte blanche to revisit this exceptional bag, which is then transformed into a dream canvas onto which they transpose their vision, their universe, their singularity. For this ninth edition, Sara Flores, Jeffrey Gibson, Huang Yuxing, Liang Yuanwei, Danielle Mckinney, Duy Anh Nhan Duc, Hayal Pozanti, Faith Ringgold, Vaughn Spann, Anna Weyant and Woo Kukwon each take their turn in appropriating the Lady Dior as a fascinating emblem of poetic metamorphosis. An alchemical combination of Dior’s heritage and creative freedom, resonating like an ode to passion and the world’s cultures. *An exceptional series hosted by the Paris-based fashion journalist Katya Foreman. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.