Porcelain Meets Couture: UBS Premieres “Glazed Splendor” at Art Basel Hong Kong

This week at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, UBS is unveiling a fresh program that explores modern artistic techniques to reinvent traditional Chinese porcelain. To mark the launch of this initiative, UBS collaborated with K11 Craft & Guild Foundation on a specially designed piece, titled “Glazed Splendor.” This one-of-a-kind creation is a collaboration between renowned fashion designer Guo Pei and Master Tan Guanghui, a National-level holder of Intangible Cultural Heritage – a specialist in Guangcai porcelain, known for its elaborate overglaze hand-painted embellishments.

In this unique collaboration, designer Guo Pei reimagined the age-old art form of Guangcai, crafting a stunning gown out of 6,000 individually hand-painted porcelain tiles. The dress, reminiscent of golden haute couture, features intricate floral designs of peonies and edelweiss, symbolizing the rich cultural bond between China and Switzerland.

Guo Pei, under the tutelage of Master Tan – a renowned expert in hand-painting porcelain tiles – delved deeply into the intricacies of Guangcai artistry. The experience taught her to value the delicate interplay between tradition and modernity as they sought to push the limits of what porcelain can achieve in a contemporary setting, as she shared with TopMob.

In the meantime, Master Tan praises Guo for her visionary ideas that encouraged exploration of novel techniques and refreshing Guangcai for a worldwide audience. He underscores the significance of safeguarding cultural traditions through daring, inventive innovation. Master Tan shares, “This is the initial instance where we’ve employed porcelain tiles to create a dress. Her innovative design style, which skillfully combines traditional features with contemporary styles, pushed me to envision porcelain in ways I hadn’t considered before.

The stunning “Glazed Splendor” gown designed by Guo Pei and Master Tan is set to grace the UBS Art Studio for viewing during Art Basel Hong Kong this week.

Art Basel Hong Kong
Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Hong Kong

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2025-03-25 06:56