Sandra‘s Closet

After landing from Istanbul, I went directly to the opening reception of «Hermès in the Making». This outstanding event offers the possibility to meet the artisans behind Hermès’ sustainable craftsmanship. Until November 14, 2024 , you can discover how the French Maison craft objects designed to last and be repaired, to be used and passed down through generations.

Since its founding in 1837, six generations of artisans have safeguarded and nurtured their historic know-how in the Hermès workshops. This heritage is a living, flourishing and constantly evolving treasure trove of artisanal skills. Hermès in the Making brings craftspeople from nearly ten of the house’s métiers to offer a sneak-peek into their expert techniques and exclusive know-how. Their work echoes the heart of Hermès: preserving and developing savoir-faire – expertise which is often linked to a historical tradition or region – a quest for quality, durability and innovation, and respect for the surrounding environments.

With lovely Yvonne Leuthard, Press & Influence Manager Hermès Switzerland 

This 8-day public event features live demonstrations, workshops, interactive activities, and films spread throughout the space. You can customize your visit according to your curiosity and interests.

Lichthalle Maag, Hardbrücke
Zahnradstrasse 22
8005 ZURICH / Switzerland

Until November 14th
(Closed on Monday 11th)
10am – 7pm
Free admission

With my dear friends, Alexandra Kruse, my favorite unicorn and astrologist to the right, and photographer Elena Steness, who captures the best moments as you can see below: 

It was a beautiful evening where we spotted the most amazing bags among the visitors. I can absolutely recommend visiting the exhibition, especially as it has free admission. You just need to book a slot in advance here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Elena Steness
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!
#HermesInTheMaking

Alaïa is participating to Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life, taking place from September 1st to September 30th, at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, in Venice.

This renowned event, curated by Michelangelo Foundation (a non-profit institution based in Switzerland, which champions craftspeople worldwide with the aim of promoting a more human, inclusive and sustainable future) under the art direction of Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini, showcases the finest in contemporary craftsmanship. In immersive exhibitions staged across the magnificent spaces of Fondazione Giorgio Cini, you can discover hundreds of handcrafted objects made by talented craftspeople from all over the world. Meaningful milestones will be celebrated with special objects handcrafted by skilled artisans according to specific techniques. From childhood to travel, romance to dreams, Homo Faber 2024 will showcase the craftsmanship behind the objects that accompany life’s most precious moments. Enjoy exceptional scenography, live artisan demonstrations and unique experiences from culinary ones to special tours. This year, Alaïa will present 30 knitted dresses that embody the Maison’s devotion to femininity.

Knitting is one of the essences of the House of Alaïa. Born from the savoir-faire of its ateliers, developed with its historical suppliers, Alaïa’s meticulous craftsmanship transforms knitted fabric is transformed into a prestigious source of pure beauty.

To book your private visit, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Alaïa / Homo Faber 2024
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Last week, I attended the V&A Summer Party that celebrated the opening of the «Naomi: In Fashion» exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The exhibition is the first major museum show dedicated to a supermodel, honoring Naomi Campbell’s 40-year career in fashion.

The party drew a star-studded crowd, including fashion designers, celebrities, and industry insiders. Elizabeth Hurley, Tessa Thompson, Letitia Wright, Rina Lipa and more joined Campbell on the event’s red carpet.

«[It feels] overwhelming, but I just wanted everyone to get to know that side of me that they might not have known,» said Campbell.

She wore a custom dress from Boss, which sponsored her exhibition and the event. Top stylist Law Roach worked with the model on the design of the dress, which was accessorized with two diamond Bulgari snake necklaces.

The exhibition, titled «Naomi: In Fashion» spans four decades of her influential career and will run from June 22, 2024, to April 6, 2025.
Enjoy the impressions of the night!

LoL, Sandra

With interior designer Pernilla Bennet of House of Bennet

The performance of Boy George was really outstanding.

Wearing Christopher John Rogers at the opening party.

With Naomi’s mum Valerie Morris Campbell

With Imran Amed of Business of Fashion

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht 
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

In the Spring of 2024, Fondation Louis Vuitton is reaffirming its mission: promoting the art of our time to the widest possible audience.. Committed to the presentation of ‘landmark works of modernity,’ the Fondation also undertakes to celebrate artists who, while having a connection with the history of modernity, have proposed new models and disrupted perceptions. At the same time, the Fondation supports contemporary creators who boldly set out to reinvent their times, while the Open Space program continues to support and disseminate emerging talent.

From May 4 to September 9, 2024, a landmark exhibition dedicated to The Red Studio (1911) by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is being presented at the same time as a new retrospective of the work of Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) featuring paintings, sculptures, photographs and drawings.

In addition, in the context of the Olympic Games in Paris, the Fondation presents a selection of works from the Collection which relate to sports, offering an alternative and poetic vision of this international event.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

While being in Seoul for the Frieze Art Fair, I was invited by MCM to explore The Upcycle Project, a 20-piece exhibit by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori, who is known for his playful design approach, at the MCM HAUS Flagship in Seoul.

Through emotion and perspective, the pieces in this collection converge at the junction of fashion and contemporary art. A true reflection of Ilori’s signature approach, the collaboration thrives on diverse color motifs, architecture, and spaces to encourage visitors to see new perspectives.

(Part 1) «There is Good in All of Us» on then ground floor of the store features an assortment of 10 renewed chairs that incorporate unused Visetos materials. By repurposing and revitalizing materials, the collaboration highlights the importance of environmental consciousness and responsible consumption.

«Complementing each artwork is a kaleidoscope, enticing visitors into a dance of colors and patterns.»
— Yinka Ilori

(Part 2) «Looking at Me», the latter half of the exhibit on the third floor of the shop, features a mix of Ilori’s older works alongside new ones from his most recent collection. The first six chairs reflect Ilori’s memories of growing up in London as a British Nigerian and explores heritage, culture and family.

The next four (from a new collection titled «All of Us») are bolder, more unapologetic and expressive to capture Ilori’s coming of age as an artist and designer.

«It’s an invitation to delve deeper, to discover the beauty beneath the overt, signifying an unending cycle of growth, balance, and rejuvenation.»
— Yinka Ilori

The pieces are on display at the MCM HAUS Flagship Store in Seoul from 4 September until 22 October, 2023. All works of art can be purchased at MCM HAUS, Seoul, after 22 October, 2023. For more information, please click here.

MCM HAUS
412 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu
Seoul, South Korea
11am- 8pm
+82 2-540-1404

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

At this year’s Paris+ par Art Basel, Louis Vuitton continues its longstanding commitment to the arts by exhibiting and showcasing a curated selection of creative collaborations and original artworks from leading international artists. The Maison is also revealing wave five of the Artycapucines collection.

The Louis Vuitton booth for Paris+ par Art Basel 2023, which runs from 20-22 October at the Grand Palais Éphémère, has been designed to resemble an oversized Louis Vuitton trunk. The exterior of the booth is inspired by the Copper Malle Courrier by Pharrell Williams, which was presented on the runway for his debut Louis Vuitton menswear collection, for S/S 2024. The booth’s interior walls feature the iconic malletage pattern, the refined crisscrossing motif that has padded the inside of the Maison’s trunks since Louis Vuitton founded his business in 1854. The booth is the perfect showcase for an exhibition of curated works by an ensemble of world-renowned artists, including collaborations on bags and canvas by Takashi Murakami; reworked, unique travel trunks by Damien Hirst; and Stephen Sprouse‘s Roses Monogram Alma bag.

Other original artworks on show include three paintings by Richard Prince; one by Takashi Murakami; a circular portrait of a young Louis Vuitton by Yan Pei-Ming; and an AI-data painting entitled Finding LV by Refik Anadol. Also included are seven new works by Yayoi Kusama, exhibited for the first time, each entitled Every Day I Pray for Love. The phrase has featured on the back of Kusama’s recent paintings, including this new series, which was begun in 2022 during the conception of the artist’s latest collaboration with Louis Vuitton.

At Paris+ par Art Basel, the Maison will also reveal five additions to its now iconic Artycapucines Collection. Since 2019, the collection has seen leading international artists – including Daniel Buren, Urs Fischer, Donna Huanca, Vik Muniz, Park Seo-Bo, Tschabalala Self, Kennedy Yanko, and Zhao Zhao – bring their unique creative visions to the blank canvas offered by the Capucines bag’s modern classic design. The five new bags on display at Paris+ par Art Basel are by Ewa Juszkiewicz, Liza Lou, Tursic & Mille, Ziping Wang, and Billie Zangewa, and reveal the ingenious creativity of their artist designers and the creative ingenuity of Louis Vuitton’s artisans who turned those visions into reality.

In 2023, following its successful presence at last year’s inaugural Paris+ par Art Basel, Louis Vuitton is now proud to become a global Associate Partner of Art Basel.
This additional support further confirms the Maison’s close and committed relationship to the arts, one that started nearly a century ago when Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the founder’s grandson, began commissioning artists to collaborate with Louis Vuitton on advertisements and perfume bottles.

Since 1988, Louis Vuitton has continued this legacy by collaborating with some of the biggest names in modern art and design, including Sol LeWitt, James Rosenquist, Cesar, and Olafur Eliasson. It has curated exhibitions by artists such as Sophie Calle,Dan Flavin, Alberto Giacometti and Gerhard Richter in its Espaces Louis Vuitton around the world (Tokyo, Munich, Venice, Beijing, Seoul and Osaka), and has more recently created innovative large-scale global art projects, such as the 2022 collaboration with Yayoi Kusama that included giant statues of the artist in Paris and London, an anamorphic billboard in Tokyo, and a capsule collection of bags, shoes, accessories, luggage, and fragrances. In 2014, the Maison opened the landmark Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, which further strengthened its continuing mission to bring the best modern and contemporary art to new audiences.

Louis Vuitton will present during Paris+ par Art Basel, which runs 20 – 22 October 2023 at the Grand Palais Éphémère, 2 Place Joffre, 75007 Paris, France.
From 13 October, the Louis Vuitton City Guide app will feature a new Contemporary Art «flânerie» – or stroll route – which will include a stop at Paris+ par Art Basel.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

This was one of my favorite encounters this week while being in South Korea. I met artist and curator Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known for the popular Instagram art meme account @JerryGogosian, to talk conceptual art, including her work «Neo-Narcissus» at the PhillipsX exhibition «Briefly Gorgeous» in Seoul.

The «Briefly Gorgeous» exhibition has been curated in collaboration with Joan Tucker, and sponsored in part by Hanwha Life. Featuring work by over 30 international artists, this exhibition presents an exciting blend of talents from a new generation such as Susan Chen, Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, Yoora Lee, Se Oh, Kaifan Wang, and Ho Jae Kim; alongside art historical titans such as Hernan Bas, Alexander Calder, David Hockney, Scott Kahn, and Yayoi Kusama.

«There is no collecting art without social media anymore.»
— HILDE LYNN HELPHENSTEIN

The notion of impermanence in beauty is a poignant reminder that nothing lasts forever. By showcasing the dynamic interplay between these fearless new voices and established luminaries, this exhibition prompts us to reflect on the significance of embracing beauty in its transitory forms, while  remaining true to our own principles and values. It encourages us to recognize that true beauty lies beyond fleeting trends and external judgments, and that our own standards and beliefs can shape our appreciation of the ever-changing world around us. Briefly Gorgeous serves as an enduring testament to the profound understanding of beauty’s temporality.

It was a true pleasure talking to Hilde Lynn. She explained that bringing this one sculpture to life has been a «wild mission». She found the original photograph of the statue of narcissist that sits in the Louvre. And then on Instagram she found someone to draw that sculpture but change it the way she wanted it to. «Neo-Narcissus» is her largest and most complicated physical work that she has ever exhibited. The price for this amazing sculpture is approximately $150.000.

Hilde Lynn said: «It seems as our relationship with technology develops and we become more intertwined with it every day deeper and deeper, this warning seems to be disappearing. Even in the ’90s, ’80s, ’70s, things were considered beautiful multi-dimensionally, because a person had beautiful personality or they gave a lot to charity, or they helped others, there was something about their being, that made them lovelier. Because today we live with technology, that is alienating and dividing us, and then reflecting back, not just our own image constantly, but an unreal artificial version, there is an implication of ugliness in that. But it is very hard to parse, because there are some people who fall somewhere into it, some people are deep and some people are watching it trepadaciously happen. Some people are like me and go «OMG that is awesome, OMG no its is not,» they go back and forth with it.»

Songwon Art Center
75, Yunposun-gil, Jongno-gu,
Seoul, 03061, Korea (map)

Viewing
1-9 September 2023
Open daily: 10am – 6pm

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

While being in Seoul, Prada presents the tenth iteration of Prada Mode, Plural and Parallel, at cultural venue KOTE, to coincide with Frieze.

Curated by Lee Sook-Kyung, the space showcases multiple site-specific installations by esteemed directors Kim Jee-Woon, Yeon Sang-ho, and Jeong Dahee, advancing an ambitious vision of contemporary cinema through each director’s idiosyncratic lens.

Lee Sook-Kyung

Lee Sook-Kyung is a curator, lecturer, writer, and the Director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester, UK. Dr. Lee began her career as Exhibitions & Displays Curator at Tate Liverpool, before working as Senior Curator of International Art at Tate Modern, where she curated a number of key exhibitions and headed a major research initiative, Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational. She later cemented her global profile as the Commissioner and Curator of the Korean Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. Active in the world of contemporary art curation for 28 years, she has played a leading role in the organization of groundbreaking exhibitions, broadening global perspectives and raising the profile of Asian art—particularly Korean art—across the world. Dr. Lee also served as the Artistic Director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale, which ran from April to July 2023 in Korea, and has recently been appointed as the Curator of the Japan Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.

The Installations
KOTE is a cultural space for creators crossing boundaries. Originally built as a furniture craft store in 1964, the space served as the birthplace of countless stories and memories. For Prada Mode Seoul, KOTE is transformed into a multi-dimensional destination where guests can explore the different universes on offer. Across KOTE’s multiple buildings, the three directors bring their visions to life, brought into conversation by Lee Sook-Kyung and spanning questions of culinary culture, absence, and mortality. Guests are able to move from space to space, experiencing the full depth and richness of each.

LoL, Sandra

The Shadows of Faded Old Love

Hellbound

Paper, Light, Ghost

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © Prada
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

Greetings from Seoul where I arrived last night to immediately attend the ARTIVIST‘s Inaugural Exhibition, the opening reception «Spooky Portals» by Dustin Yellin, followed by an intimate dinner at Raum East.

I love Dustin’s works. The Brooklyn-based artist tells stories that weave together the diverse forces of nature and technology. Through his multidisciplinary body of work, which includes object making, painting and animation, Yellin draws attention to the interconnectivity of all beings and things. His approach tunnels across traditionally siloed fields so as to crystallize the idea that both the human world, and all other worlds around us, are a collection of enmeshed networks – even if many are hidden.

Yellin’s glass works in particular is absolutely spectacular. Paint and images clipped from various print media are embedded within laminated glass sheets to form grand pictographic allegories, invite viewers to engage with the legions of their own consciousness and its embodied emotions, as well as that of our collective society and its infrastructures.

Yellin is the founder and director of Pioneer Works, a multidisciplinary cultural center that builds community through the arts and sciences. The artist balances descriptive poetry with a prescriptive social practice so as to span new ways of seeing and being, and build a bridge to a more holistic world.

With art collector Kim Robson Ortiz and Walker Waugh at the exhibition opening.

Dustin’s first Asia solo exhibition is open until October 21, 2023 at  27 Dosan-daero 67-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

With artist Dustin Yellin at dinner.

Enjoy some impressions of last night! I am here one week, so lots of interesting things will be coming up!

LoL, Sandra

Amazing dinner location in Seoul at Raum East.

Great dinner conversation with Mr. Song, who snapped away my favorite art piece. Congrats!

Great success of the night. Amy Kim is happy.

With lovely Payal Shah, founder of L’Dezen.

With Korean actor Lee JunHyuk, Susan Shin and Payal Shah.

Great night among great people. From left to right: My humble self, Amy Kim, Dustin Yellin, Susan Shin, Walker Waugh and Payal Shah.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

The House is pleased to announce the opening of the Gucci Cosmos exhibition in London. Following its successful debut in Shanghai in April, the cutting-edge showcase of the House’s most iconic designs from its over 102-year history will take place at 180 Studios, running from October 11 to December 31, 2023.

British artist Es Devlin, who designed the original exhibition, has created a dedicated set-up for the space at 180 Studios with additional elements that pay homage to London and its pivotal role in inspiring Guccio Gucci to establish his Florentine artisanal luggage atelier in 1921. Italian curator Maria Luisa Frisa also returns, drawing new, never-before-seen items out of the Gucci Archive to display at the London stop. Gucci Cosmos spirals backwards and forwards through the decades, demonstrating how the visionary ethos at the heart of the House has continuously reflected and defined the times.

As a traveling exhibition, Gucci Cosmos transports the heritage and craftsmanship of the House around the world, opening the doors to the Archive in Florence and highlighting how storied pieces and emblems have woven their way throughout time. In 2024, Gucci Cosmos will travel to Paris and Kyoto, and feature dedicated narratives and elements that will resonate in a meaningful way with the distinctive culture of each city and its country.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!