Her love of contemporary art has also recently taken centre stage, with her posting works from her collection on Xiaohongshu, an Instagram-like social media platform popular in mainland China. They include Edward Hopper-like photography works by Chinese photography artist Huang Xiaoliang, which she collected early in her career; a Tracey Emin neon-light work; and still-life paintings by Hilary Pecis, which she has collected more recently.
She was in Rome to launch the audio guide, made to accompany the exhibition “Louise Bourgeois: Unconscious Memories”, which continues the museum’s tradition of showcasing contemporary artists in dialogue with its 400-year-old collection.
Lang Xiao is a London-based public relations specialist who facilitated the collaboration. “While I’d always heard about Zhu Zhu as an art collector through Xiaohongshu, it wasn’t until I watched a video where she described her collection as a way of capturing emotions – including those of being a mother – that I truly felt she was the perfect fit for the role,” she says.
“This connection was particularly apt for the exhibition. One of Louise Bourgeois’ most renowned series, ‘The Cells’, delves into her childhood memories and emotions, and Zhu Zhu’s experiences as a mother and her multifaceted life as an actress mirrored the raw vulnerability Bourgeois explored in these works.”
A recent Xinhua article reported that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Italy is expected to reach and surpass the record set in 2019, which was around 3.5 million, with Rome and Venice being popular destinations.
But Lang says the museum, one of Rome’s most popular, is still keen to see even more Chinese visiting.
“With Zhu Zhu, we hope not only to encourage Chinese audiences to include the museum in their itinerary when visiting Italy or after Art Basel, but also draw the attention of Chinese students or expats in the country to the exhibition,” Lang says.
In Hong Kong, Mok has lent her voice to the English, Cantonese and Mandarin audio guides for an exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. “The Adorned Body: French Fashion and Jewellery 1770-1910”, which features loans from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, opened on June 26.
In July 2023, Chinese supermodel Cici Xiang, best known for her ad campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Chanel, came to Hong Kong to moderate the opening panel discussion of “Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China”, an exhibition at the M+ museum of visual culture. Xiang is a bona fide art world expert, being an artist, curator and partner in Beijing’s Star Gallery.
The British Museum, meanwhile, recently announced that the K-pop girl group NewJeans has recorded an audio introduction for its Korean gallery.
According to Yiman Lin, senior product manager (mobile digital) at the British Museum, downloads for the Korean gallery audio guide on the museum’s app have skyrocketed tenfold since the version with NewJeans launched in mid-May. Priced at £4.99, it has become the fourth most popular guide on the museum app.
While celebrity collaborations are hardly a new concept for museums and other art institutions, there has been a surge in ones with Asian stars.
Auction house Sotheby’s was an early adopter of this strategy. In 2016, it partnered with Korean star T.O.P to curate an art auction, which significantly exceeded expectations: all 28 works sold for a combined US$17.4 million, far surpassing the presale estimate of US$11.5 million.
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou has also been courted by auction houses, having curated sales at both Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
These examples show that the devoted fanbases cultivated by Asian celebrities are seen to benefit art institutions beyond a simple increase in visitor numbers, Lang says. For example, Western museums are especially keen to sell touring exhibitions to China, where many venues are hungry for world-class content, she explains.
The collaboration with Zhu serves a dual purpose for the Galleria Borghese, Lang adds. “It fosters a connection between the exhibition and Chinese audiences, while simultaneously elevating the Galleria Borghese’s profile within China’s museum and art world.”
While financial motivations are undeniable, given budget cuts faced by museums worldwide, these collaborations offer more than just increased revenue – they can also spark young people’s interest in culture.
The goal is to “bring together people with the collection and each other, opening up conversations in which anyone can take part”, Lin says.
Lang echoes this sentiment, emphasising that art exhibitions, even those featuring big names, can introduce audiences to diverse perspectives and foster cultural inclusivity. Celebrity collaborations, therefore, have the potential to broaden cultural engagement and understanding.