Artist Mariko Mori transforms the Lady Dior into an emblem suffused with light

Dior Lady Art

Welcome to the Dior Talks podcast series dedicated to the eighth edition of Dior Lady Art, hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this highly-anticipated edition, 12 artists from around the world were invited to transform the iconic Lady Dior handbag into a unique work of art.

In this latest episode, we plunge into the esoteric, cosmic universe of Mariko Mori. Operating in another realm spanning the past, present and future, the internationally acclaimed Japanese artist through her futuristic multidisciplinary works blurs the lines between art and technology, exploring themes including life, death and rebirth, prehistory, the cosmos and spirituality.

For Dior Lady Art, Mori used her signature dichroic vacuum deposition and lenticular techniques to take the iconic Lady Dior handbag into a new dimension, harnessing her mastery of light, which she describes as “an inner source for all living things.”

Seemingly inhabited by light which shifts as the bag is moved, the first of three bags features an inner landscape inspired by the ālaya, the eighth consciousness in Buddhism. The second – in a small format – celebrates Dior heritage through an emblematic white bow made from an innovative fabric that lights up in an array of select colors in a crafted sequence. The final design with its compact, minaudière dimensions, resembles a rainbow-colored bubble, evoking a space-time capsule on which the "O" of the "D.I.O.R." charms is transformed into a model of the artist’s monumental sculptural installation, “Ring: One With Nature.” As a final surprise, the bags’ interiors are dressed in a unique shade of delicate pink, heightening the bag’s feminine essence.

Tune in to the episode to learn more about the artist’s fascinating world.