DVF, 2011
Diane von Furstenburg is like a religion, una madonna. That's why I did that 3D portrait of her. When one meets Diane, one is under her spell, her charm. We feel we want to get close to her, to her warmth, her light. We feel small, not because we are intimidated, but because we want to become smaller to be closer to her, to her skin, her presence, because she's got a maternal side and a natural generosity side.
Diane has a hyper-real aspect. She is always connected and she knows how to use all the latest technologies which makes her like a teenager or a 21st century kid, an eternal youth due to her natural curiosity.
There's nothing negative in the video with the people coming out of Diane's mouth. It's a natural extension of her and parts of her body into the nature under the disguise of other icons of our history. In my other works see, I often have that nostalgia feeling of life and history through decomposition, melting representation of the world. I had that vision of such a 3D animation about Diane even before meeting her, and doing a 3D portrait is due, on one hand that she doesn't have a 3D portrait yet, and on the other hand, it's because 3D animation is my main medium since 2003.
DVF 2011 is a new 3D animated portrait by Yi Zhou that originated as a commissioned piece for Diane von Furstenberg. In a dreamlike sequence, the iconic Diane von Furstenberg blows out of her mouth in an anachronological order female icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Obama, Wonder Woman, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Angelina Jolie, Charlotte Casiraghi, Mother Teresa, and even Diane von Furstenberg herself.
This new work will be included in The Pace Gallery Beijing's exhibition entitled Diane von Furstenberg: Journey of a Dress, from April 3 through May 14, 2011.