Shoes: Pleasure and Pain opens at Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu

CHENGDU (15 March 2018) – Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu is delighted to open Shoes: Pleasure and Pain today at Guangdong Hall. Molly Wu, General Manager of Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu officiated the opening ceremony together with exhibition curator Helen Persson. The critically-acclaimed exhibition is presented by Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A). This is the first stop of its Asia tour in 2018, and will run from March 15 to April 24. To celebrate the third anniversary of Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu, a series of exciting activities will take place in the mall alongside the exhibition during this period.

Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu, bringing a harmonious union of art and culture
Through this partnership, Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu hopes to bring a world-class museum experience to the city. Owing to its cultural essence and distinctive feature, the beautifully revitalised Guangdong Hall has been chosen to house the precious exhibits of Shoes: Pleasure and Pain. Renowned for its traditional architecture and courtyards that reflect the heritage of Chengdu, Guangdong Hall serves as the perfect backdrop for this collection of iconic and historical pieces.  The exhibition is free of charge to the general public, demonstrating the mall’s vision to enrich Chengdu’s urban lifestyle with art and culture.

Molly Wu, General Manager of Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu, said: "We are honoured to partner with V&A to host Shoes: Pleasure and Pain’s first stop of its Asia tour in 2018. Since Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu’s opening three years ago, our vision of bringing enriching experiences to the community by integrating art into consumers’ everyday lives remains steadfast. With respect to local culture and pioneering ideas of the international frontier, Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu has been steering cultural, fashion and lifestyle innovations of the city. We appreciate the support from V&A on bringing this exhibition to Chengdu, and helping us realise this vision once again."

Also in attendance at the opening ceremony were contemporary artists, fashion KOLs, representatives from British Consulate-General, VisitBritain, Christie's and the Chengdu Museum. Helen Persson, curator of Shoes: Pleasure and Pain, participated in an inspiring panel discussion with the representative from Chengdu Museum on Chinese and Western art and culture. The journey of style extends from Guangdong Hall to Temple Plaza, where Jimmy Choo and Off White announced the release of their collaborative collection, with famed actress Victoria Song in attendance to celebrate. 

During the exhibition period, Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu will collaborate with Adidas, Leezo, The Temple House, and other brands to bring a series of exciting activities and happenings. 


# # #

About Shoes: Pleasure and Pain
Shoes: Pleasure and Pain explores how shoes can cause both pain as well as pleasure for the wearer; and more importantly, how footwear choices reflect human and societal behaviour. Featuring over 140 pairs of shoes from around the world and from as far back as the 1370s to demonstrate to visitors the different roles played by shoes across different culture, occasions and histories. 
‘Shoes: Pleasure and Pain’ is curated by Helen Persson, who uses the collection to explore the transformative power of footwear; and how, more than any other aspect of dress, it has been used to express personality and capture identity.  This exhibition comprises five sections: Transformation, Status, Seduction, Creation and Obsession. The V&A’s shoe collection is unrivalled; objects on display include footwear from around the globe (Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America). 

As part of the ‘Obsession’ collection delving into the practices of the shoe collector, leading actress and singer Karen Mok has loaned 14 pairs of shoes from her own personal collection to be featured within the exhibition including the peep-toe evening pumps designed by Salvatore Ferragamo especially for Karen to wear on her wedding day, alongside the original design sketch with a personalised dedication. Karen Mok, said, “Shoes have long been a personal passion of mine and I was truly thrilled to be invited to collaborate on this exhibition. The shoes taken from my collection on loan the exhibition represent important milestones in my personal life and career and I’m delighted to be sharing these with the general public.”
For modern day shoe-lovers, this exhibition will be a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the iconic designs of Yves Saint Laurent, Jimmy Choo, and Zaha Hadid. There will also be a host of additional exhibits, ranging from sketches and accessories to shoe lasts, including those of Charlie Chaplin, Paul Newman, Princess Diana and Dita Von Teese.

Visitors can also admire footwear owned by or associated with high profile figures including David Beckham, Kylie Minogue, The Queen Mother and Elton John; and see the notorious pair of Vivienne Westwood platforms that caused supermodel Naomi Campbell to stumble on the catwalk in 1993. 
More information for the exhibition, please visit http://shoes.swireproperties.com/en/


About the V&A
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewelry, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.