Dior: Scotty So

Scotty So, DIOR | February 14 – March 14, 2026

MARS is delighted to present Scotty So's latest series exploring the glamour and vigour of vintage Dior reimagined through the genre of performance. 

Melbourne/Naarm-based artist Scotty So’s cutting-edge series reinterprets the contemporary portrait through the language of archive Dior hats, released exclusively for Melbourne Fashion Festival 2026 at MARS Gallery in Windsor.

Once couture pieces worn by wealthy, stylish women, the Dior hats featured in this series now take on a new life as performative, theatrical objects. The juxtaposition highlights how fashion and identity can be reinterpreted across time and context, transforming symbols of refinement into tools of storytelling and self-expression. In each image, Scotty appears in drag wearing cheongsams and his collection of Dior hats, inhabiting imagined scenes that evoke a mysterious, elegant woman.

“Drawing on the language of fashion editorials, the series engages with the way women are often portrayed with tension, allure, and danger, exploring the intersection of glamour and theatricality. It constructs a fabricated historical narrative, a nostalgic fantasy inspired by the quiet, cinematic stillness of fashion photography, inviting viewers to navigate memory, desire, and transformation.”  – Scotty So

Scotty So is a Melbourne/Narrm-based artist who works across media, including ceramic, painting, photography, sculptures, site-responsive installation, videos, and performance. Driven by the thrill of camp, he explores the often-contradictory relationship between humour and sincerity, creating a scene of para-fiction through the manipulation of found objects and existing imageries in the living experience. Born and raised in Hong Kong, So’s work has been shown in Australia, China, Hong Kong, and Europe, including the National Gallery of Victoria.