GIANNI VERSACE RETROSPECTIVE
Curatorial Exhibition
in collaboration with Karl von der Ahé & Saskia Lubnow

Gianni Versace Retrospective at Pop Culture Gallery in Poznań was the first large-scale exhibition devoted to the legendary Italian designer ever presented in Poland. Working alongside guest curators Karl von der Ahé and Saskia Lubnow, creators of the original European touring concept, the project was re-envisioned for a Polish audience and reinterpreted within the architectural and cultural context of the Gallery.

The exhibition charted Versace’s creative universe through original garments, accessories, runway pieces, archival photographs, campaign materials, and video documentation. It revealed a designer who fused classical motifs with pop culture, sensuality, theatre, and celebrity — shaping the visual language of the late twentieth century and leaving a lasting imprint on contemporary fashion and image-making.

The Poznań edition brought into focus the full spectrum of Versace’s work:
his sculptural tailoring and couture craftsmanship,
the ornamental, baroque-inspired iconography that defined his signature,
his collaborations with leading photographers and supermodels,
and the dynamic interplay between fashion, performance, and visual identity.

The exhibition design emphasised movement, drama, and the immersive qualities inherent in Versace’s work. The garments were presented as part of a cinematic environment, allowing viewers to encounter them not simply as objects, but as expressions of character, attitude, and cultural energy. Spatial sequencing reinforced the emotional rhythm of the collection — from intimate archival curiosities to spectacular runway silhouettes.

Gianni Versace Retrospective received wide national recognition and strong critical acclaim, quickly becoming one of the most discussed fashion and design exhibitions of the season in Poland. It attracted diverse audiences from the fields of fashion, art, design, and popular culture, strengthening Pop Culture Gallery’s position as an important venue for large-scale international exhibitions.

The Poznań edition demonstrated how fashion can operate as cultural storytelling: a medium capable of articulating identity, desire, mythology, and the visual codes of a generation. It presented Versace not only as a designer, but as a narrator of modern glamour — bold, theatrical, and unmistakably visionary.