Louis Vuitton’s publishing division launched a new Travel Book series, inviting artists to immerse themselves in a foreign cultural context and produce original works inspired by the experience. For the South Africa edition, they commissioned celebrated Chinese painter Liu Xiaodong to explore and document the country through his distinctive lens.
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Serving as head of Liu Xiaodong’s studio, West of Here founder, Zandie Brockett, led full-cycle production and project management for the campaign from contract negotiation and itinerary planning to on-site artist support, content delivery, and post-book exhibition execution. The itinerary spanned Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Kruger National Park, with a focus on politically and ecologically charged landscapes.
Liu Xiaodong’s resulting body of work (120 original works on handmade rice paper) melded painting, photography, text, and film to capture South Africa’s complex emotional and historical terrain. Deliverables included a hardcover Travel Book, a limited-edition boxed set with signed print, a 3-minute branded film, and exhibitions at Modern Media Center in Shanghai and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
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Travel Book: Liu Xiaodong x South Africa
Louis Vuitton
