Meet the Artist Behind Gucci's Lego Sylvie Bag
For Gucci's "The Artist Is Present" exhibition in Shanghai, branding is the least of the Italian label's worries as it pushes its way forward to create a truly stunning art showcase of the many talents scouted by Alessandro Michele.
Curated by Maurizio Cattelan, the exhibition explores the idea of "counterfeit and copying". Of the many intriguing artworks currently on display at the Yuz Museum, perhaps the one that really screams "GUCCI!" is the Lego-fied Gucci Sylvie Bag by artist Andy Hung.
An iconic silhouette inspired by Sylvie Vartan in the '60s, the Sylvie bag gets a 180-degree transformation in the form of Lego pieces by the Hong Kong-based artist. Below, he tells us more about how the bag was made and how he became a Lego Certified Professional.
You are the 13th Lego-certified professional worldwide and the first ever in Greater China. Why and how did you start your career in this field?
It is a bit long story but, to make it short, Lego is a company that encourages creativity. They always have activities involving different people – and so I had the chance to connect with multiple Lego officers who gave me great advice and recommendations – leading my Lego Certified Professional (LCP) journey until now. It was a privilege to turn my interest in my career.
When did you first encounter Lego and what was the first ever masterpiece you built as a Lego-certified professional?
I cannot remember it clearly but it was during my childhood and thanks to my parents. The first professional model I did was the City of Dream in Macao, using more than 1,000,000 Lego bricks.
Is Gucci your first ever fashion partnership? How was the experience working with Gucci?
Yes, it is true! It was very exciting because I got to work with great professionals pushing me to create something beyond my habitual subjects.
What do you think about the Sylvie Bag? How do you think the bag resonates to Lego and what you do as an artist?
The Gucci Sylvie Bag is an iconic bag in fashion and the Lego bricks are iconic in their segment as well – so it was great to combine these two extremely different things together. In this creation, I tried to maintain and respect both the two significant characters and heritages.
For the Gucci "The Artist Is Present" exhibition, the theme focuses on the idea that reproductions and the idea of originality. As an artist, what are your thoughts on "Imitation in Art" and "Being Original in Art"?
I think that imitation and originality sound so different, but in fact, there is only one blurry line between the two.
The Gucci Sylvie bag made with LEGO bricks epitomizes the way you can imitate something yet using a different approach, through a different media, it can result in a new layer of originality.
Gucci's "The Artist Is Present" exhibition is now open to the public until 16 December 2019 at the Yuz Museum, Shanghai. Find out more at www.gucci.com.
