Chanel at Power Station of Art — Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto (2024)

Power Station of Art hosted a retrospective exhibition of Gabrielle Chanel’s work, presented across nine thematic sections on the museum’s second floor.

The venue

Power Station of Art is a contemporary art museum occupying a former power plant on the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Its industrial structure is retained, with tall galleries, exposed structural elements and large open floors. The building is used for large-scale exhibitions, biennials and public programmes, and its riverside setting places it within the city’s museum and cultural district.

How the space was used

The museum’s second floor was given over to the exhibition, with Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s design dividing the galleries into nine chronological and thematic sections. A route through the floor moved from Gabrielle Chanel’s early hat shop to collections shown after her death, displaying more than 200 garments, accessories and perfume. The museum’s open gallery floors accommodated the sequence of sets and cases.

Why it works here

Power Station of Art is built for large travelling exhibitions and has the gallery floors, access and technical support that a costume retrospective requires. Its art-museum audience and central cultural position suit a designer survey that depends on timed viewing, object display and extended public programming rather than sales.