Hermes at Hermès Maison Shanghai — Living Models Li Han Exhibition (2023)

The fourth floor of Hermès Maison Shanghai hosted Li Han's "Living Models" exhibition, with eight installations and works on urban architecture.

The venue

The fourth floor of Hermès Maison Shanghai is an exhibition level at 217 Huaihai Middle Road, set within the brand's maison on a central commercial street. The room sits above the street-level retail activity and is used for cultural presentations rather than sales. Its interior provides a neutral gallery-like setting inside a building whose exterior follows the codes of a Western-style maison.

How the space was used

For the exhibition, the floor held eight constructed installations by Li Han, including Dragon Theater, a model and animation stage based on a Chongqing theater in a parking building; Pigeon Cage, a 1:4 reconstruction of a demolished Shanghai pigeon loft; and Ideal City, a mural and relief assembled from urban elements. The works turned the room into a compressed model of city life, with interiors, facades and panoramic wall pieces occupying the exhibition floor.

Why it works here

The maison's upper-floor exhibition room separates the show from street-level retail while keeping it inside a central Huaihai Road building. That arrangement suits an art exhibition about urban architecture and brand-led cultural programming: visitors enter a dedicated interior, and the building's city setting supports the subject without requiring a conventional museum.