Midas touch: Loro Piana launches The Gift of Kings exhibition at Art Basel Hong Kong 2018
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

The most intriguing installation of Hong Kong’s annual art week is outside the blockbuster Art Basel fair on the 18th floor of vertical art complex H Queen’s, where Italian luxury textiles company Loro Piana has unveiled an evanescent cloud-like sculpture made of the brand’s most precious raw material – its finest merino wool, The Gift of Kings.
Finer and softer than cashmere, this rare fibre measures only 12 microns and is available only in tiny quantities, only 3,000 kilos are produced each year. The title was originally given to merino wool in 18th-century Europe, when the Kings of Spain presented merino sheep to the royal families of France, Britain and Holland.
In Hong Kong, it took an entire week to set up the site-specific installation. There are 590 suspended monochromatic panels that immerse visitors in a surreal and highly tactile experience as they push between outer layers of unfinished coarse fibre wool across three chambers which display the material in progressive forms. Visitors follow the journey from its raw state through various treatments into wrist-thick twists, and finally into a sublime fine yarn that will be spun into a crease-resistant limited series of outerwear, sweaters and scarves.
The material is so soft and delicate that Loro Piana artisans have had to develop special techniques to protect the transformation of the inimitable strands into fabric. The installation, on show for the first time, demonstrates the brand’s expertise in sustainable fine fabrics.
‘At Loro Piana the sense of touch is paramount: this experience allows visitors to step inside and feel the Gift of Kings while learning about its journey in pursuit of excellence,’ says Loro Piana CEO Fabio d’Angelantonio. The raw soft fabric has also been used for 16 whimsical swing chairs suspended from the ceiling, the perfect perch from which to enjoy the gallery’s 180-degree views over Hong Kong.
This playful tone continues in a nearby mini-gallery pod adorned with an unusual gift for visitors: pocket-sized squares of Loro Piana fabrics embroidered with the brand’s value statements like ‘Traditionally Innovative’ and ‘Pure Rarity’. Loro Piana traces its roots to the northern Italian town of Quarona in the Piedmont region, where the family were wool merchants in the early 19th century. The company was established in 1924 and became part of the LVMH group in 2013.
The immersive exhibition takes visitors on a journey of this precious fine material
Loro Piana’s The Gift of Kings exhibition features clouds of material
View of Loro Piana’s The Gift of Kings exhibition
Entrance to The Gift of Kings exhibition
INFORMATION
’The Gift of Kings’ is on view until 31 May. For more information, visit the Loro Piana website (opens in new tab)
-
American avant-garde artist Senga Nengudi receives top billing at last
We explore the work of American artist Senga Nengudi, who has just opened two major shows in New York, and will be awarded the Nasher Prize for Sculpture 2023 in April
By MZ Adnan • Published
-
Kia EV9 is a new benchmark for the Korean brand, a bold electric SUV
Kia brings a concept to life with the EV9 SUV, a spacious all-electric seven-seater that makes a strong design statement
By Guy Bird • Published
-
Lasting Joy Brewery injects design sophistication to Hudson Valley farmland
Lasting Joy Brewery by Auver Architecture brings contemporary energy and sophistication to the growing Hudson Valley craft beer scene
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Supergraphics pioneer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: ‘Sure, make things big – anything is possible'
94-year-old graphic designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon talks radical typography, motherhood, and her cool welcome for St Moritz
By Jessica Klingelfuss • Published
-
Fluffy bunnies meet office politics in Nicolas Haeni’s photo series
To mark the Year of the Rabbit, we return down the rabbit hole of Swiss photographer Nicolas Haeni’s photography series, where mischievous bunnies infiltrate the humdrum of corporate life
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
The most surreal moments in Art Basel history, from taped bananas to wealth-ranking ATMs
As a wealth-ranking ATM stole hearts and headlines at Art Basel Miami 2022, we look back on the most controversial moments in the history of Art Basel
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Miami Art Week 2022: your guide to the 6 best shows in town
As Miami Art Week 2022 enters full swing, explore our preview guide to the highlights, from Art Basel Miami Beach 2022 art fair to the best exhibitions and events
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated
-
Alicja Kwade’s installation ‘brings the stars down’ onto Place Vendôme
Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade has adorned Place Vendôme with an interactive installation comprising natural stone spheres and concrete stairs, as part of the Paris+ par Art Basel ‘Sites’ project
By Flora Vesterberg • Last updated
-
Step inside the kaleidoscopic universe of Pipilotti Rist
Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist, who headlines Wallpaper’s November 2022 issue, has transformed the way we see, with a poetic yet playful practice spanning three decades. Here, and in a special portfolio, she reveals how she has liberated video art from its conventions, imbued the digital realm with emotion, animated public spaces, and harnessed the healing powers of colour
By Jessica Klingelfuss • Last updated
-
Olivia Arthur on expanding photography and minimising preconceptions
‘Through the lens’ is our monthly series that spotlights photographers who are Wallpaper* contributors. Here we explore the vision of Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur
By Sophie Gladstone • Last updated
-
Artist Julianknxx on poetry, dreams and Switzerland
Ahead of the New York showing of his major new film with Switzerland Tourism, we visit the studio of London-based poet and filmmaker Julianknxx
By Jessica Klingelfuss • Last updated