Artist Alex Chinneck turns Dior window displays into stunningly abstract dreamscapes

Since appointing Jonathan Anderson, Dior has sidled much more decisively into the fantastical. Anderson’s initial self-restraint has, over the course of the last few runways, loosened into something far more characterful. Cadillacs restructured as Saddlebags are amongst other accessories with a distinctly Hollywood sheen shown at his Cruise debut last week. Anderson’s own personality is now fully in play, and with that comes a precise reworking of the brand’s voice; for a house leaning into wit and illusion, there’s no other logical choice than turning to Alex Chinneck - few artists craft the surreal quite so well. Renowned for unzipping façades, knotting up the commonplace, and engineering large-scale works that physically defy gravity, Chinneck reforms what we like to think we recognise into something altogether less certain.

Image courtesy of Dior.

While Dior has always been incredibly dreamlike per its founders intentions, the newest installations have been constructed as an homage to Christian Dior’s unwavering devotion to creation in its many forms. Conceived by Alex Chinneck, each feature is rooted firmly in the House’s history and its long-standing dialogue with the United States, a relationship that traces back to 1947 and has further been extended by the recent Cruise show.

Images courtesy of Dior.

At the House of Dior New York on 57th Street, nine sculptural works are unfolded across the space. Clocks, yellow taxis, and traffic lights - all New York City icons - are uplifted from the everyday and reworked with a surrealist slant, bending and softening the city that never sleeps. The floral feel within hasn't been upended; instead, the contrast between the natural and the metropolitan perfectly captures the founder's passion for fauna and the contemporary and mercantile face of the House.

Image courtesy of Alex Chinneck.

Images courtesy of Dior.

On the opposite coast, House of Dior Beverly Hills hosts five further pieces. Here, the dialogue shifts to Los Angeles, sporting cars, street lamps - all fragments of the urban grid that have been distorted and gathered into something that’s distinctly couture in spirit. Twisted into bows, bundled like bouquets, they echo ribbons, threads, drapery, and the Dior Savoir Faire, a fitting celebration of their debut years.

Image courtesy of Dior. Image courtesy of Alex Chinneck.