MAGIC Show
Vogue Singapore|December 2024
Cartier has unveiled The Power of Magic, its latest exhibition dedicated to the enchanting powers of its creations. Vogue Singapore's watches and jewellery editor reports from Shanghai and speaks with the director of the Cartier Collection.
GORDON NG
MAGIC Show

Why do jewels bewitch us so? Put aside the fact that they are made from rare, precious materials that are gifts of the earth—gemstones that are little wonders of nature, and noble metals that gleam. Put aside, even, that jewels are creations of beauty wrought from the mastery of the human hand. No, what it is about jewellery that really speaks to our hearts and souls is that these objects can hold in them stories, emotions, sentimentality, history—intangible yet immeasurably powerful forces that we might call magic.

Well, that’s the thought behind Cartier, The Power of Magic, the latest exhibition by the French jeweller that’s being staged from now to 17 February 2025 at the recently revamped Shanghai Museum East. “There is magic in Cartier items,” explains Pascale Lepeu, director of the Cartier Collection, the brand’s in-house archive established in the 1970s.

The Cartier Collection has staged numerous exhibitions around the world. Already, this is the seventh to be held in China. But there are numerous anniversaries at play too this time. The Power of Magic is the second Cartier exhibition mounted in Shanghai after the first in 2004 and it coincides with 60 years of Sino-French diplomatic relations.

As a way of underlining this relationship, the exhibition features a new degree of collaboration between the French jeweller and its Chinese host city. First, a curation led by Fragy Chu, the deputy head of exhibitions at Shanghai Museum East, that pairs Chinese cultural artefacts loaned from museums and institutions with Cartier Collection pieces. Second, a collaboration with Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang on scenography.

This story is from the December 2024 edition of Vogue Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2024 edition of Vogue Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM VOGUE SINGAPOREView All
Reunited and It Feels So Good
Vogue Singapore

Reunited and It Feels So Good

The joy of a return is palpable for K-pop star Sandara Park, who's back on stage as a member of 2NE1 for the Welcome Back tour— the group's first headlining concert since eight years of inactivity.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2024
AP
Vogue Singapore

AP

As 2024 draws to a close, Grammy- and Tonynominated actress Ashley Park reflects on her most transformative chapter yet.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2024
Blue HOUR
Vogue Singapore

Blue HOUR

Meet the whisky of the moment the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet. Released in partnership with luxury skiwear brand, Perfect Moment, it is a fashion-forward ode to the allure of après-ski culture.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
MEETING of MINDS
Vogue Singapore

MEETING of MINDS

A long-standing patron of arts and culture, Chanel is making its mark in the world of literature with the Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon, imagined by house ambassador and spokesperson Charlotte Casiraghi. The series' next writer of focus? Acclaimed French author Colette.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
The WORDSMITH
Vogue Singapore

The WORDSMITH

Singaporean author Amanda Lee Koe's books defy definition-as does their maker.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2024
MAGIC Show
Vogue Singapore

MAGIC Show

Cartier has unveiled The Power of Magic, its latest exhibition dedicated to the enchanting powers of its creations. Vogue Singapore's watches and jewellery editor reports from Shanghai and speaks with the director of the Cartier Collection.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
Rebel REBEL
Vogue Singapore

Rebel REBEL

A surprising team-up for the ages: Japanese pearl jeweller Mikimoto collaborates with uber-cool Hollywood luxury label Chrome Hearts.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
Glorious MOVEMENT
Vogue Singapore

Glorious MOVEMENT

Seeing an athlete at the top of their game can be awe-inspiring, a sense captured in the RM 07-04 Automatic Sport by Richard Mille.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
Picture PERFECT
Vogue Singapore

Picture PERFECT

In Shanghai, the Milanese jeweller Pomellato debuted its first retrospective exhibition, celebrating its free-spirited story.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
The SPECTRUM OF BEAUTY
Vogue Singapore

The SPECTRUM OF BEAUTY

In an industry where neurotypical is the default, how do neurodivergent individuals navigate their relationship with beauty? Vogue Singapore investigates.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024