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M+, Hong Kong, © M+, Hong Kong
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1987
Bold and majestic, this crimson tapestry with abstract patterns is suspended from the ceiling. Before the tapestry is a chaotic profusion of bamboo tubes, and beneath them a carpet with inscriptions of the five elements in Chinese characters: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Maryn Varbanov used an unconventional technique of combining traditional tapestry making with the imagery of Chinese landscape painting, like a bamboo forest, to depict an abstract and three-dimensional natural scenery.
Song Huai-Kuei (1937–2006), better known as Madame Song, was a legend in China’s elite cultural circles in the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China reveals her overlooked and underestimated influence in transforming a closed-door China into today’s cosmopolitan and culturally diverse society. Communicating with the rest of the world from a country that was largely isolated during the Cold War, Song helped cultivate a modern, international lifestyle in China. With her husband, Bulgarian fibre artist Maryn Varbanov, Song fostered a rich scene of avant-garde artists, musicians, filmmakers, and designers. Bringing into dialogue Madame Song’s multiple identities and professional pursuits—from staging fashion shows and training models to making art and building a creative community—this exhibition also underscores the interconnected relationship between the avant-garde spirit and commercial culture in China, as the nation opened and strategically embraced global capitalism.
The majority of the objects on display are from the Madame Song and Maryn Varbanov archive held by M+, including Madame Song’s vast collection of Pierre Cardin garments. The exhibition also features loans from other prominent fashion designers from both Europe and China, movie costumes and footage, as well as artworks and large-scale tapestry installations associated with the 1985 New Wave movement. Other highlights include loans from the Song-Varbanov family archive and rarely published material from Chinese national news agencies and broadcasting stations.
Organised thematically, this exhibition traces Madame Song’s life and practice from the 1950s to the early 2000s and unveils her broad social network and impact on China’s cultural development. The exhibition starts with an introductory chapter entitled ‘Who is Madame Song?’, followed by four sections dedicated to her multifaceted identities: Madame Song as an Artist; Madame Song as a Businesswoman; Madame Song as a Fashionista; and lastly, Madame Song and Chineseness.
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