Culture Watch: What to See and Where to Go in February
Culture Watch is a series spotlighting the intersection of fashion and art, bringing you the latest must-see exhibitions, pop-ups, installations, and more.
February brings a whole new season of cultural events and activations, from the runway shows of fashion month to many new exhibits in the art world. And luckily, these must-see activities are the perfect distraction from freezing-cold temperatures. First up, Jonathan Anderson creates special cornettes for a new Gwen John retrospective in Wales, while Terrence Zhou of Bad Binch TongTong wins the CFDA Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant. Check out all of this month’s best cultural happenings below.
“Gwen John: Strange Beauties” opens on February 7 at National Museum Cardiff in Wales, which is part of the Amgueddfa Cymru collective of national museums. Designer and Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson, who owns a significant collection of John’s works, contributed five special cornettes in various fabrics and colors inspired by John’s paintings of Dominican nuns, also on display. Anderson is uniquely positioned to bring John’s works to life, especially after his use of similar, sculptural headwear at his ready-to-wear debut for Dior’s spring collection. The exhibition, which marks 150 years since John’s birth in 1876, will be on display until June 28.
For the 31st installment of Miu Miu Women’s Tales, Norwegian director Mona Fastvold created Discipline, a film examining girlhood and female relationships with their inner child, starring Amanda Seyfried (who leads Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee) and choreographed by Celia Rowlson-Hall. Shown at Village East by Angelika, the premiere brought together guests like Myha’la, Nina Dobrev, Paloma Elsesser, and more to celebrate the film. Miu Miu Women’s Tales is an initiative by the brand to support female filmmaking and storytelling, providing resources, its platform, and, of course, costuming to uplift special projects created by and for women.
Loewe announced 30 finalists, representing 19 countries, for the 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, which includes American ceramics artist Jane Yang-D’Haene. The National Gallery Singapore will host the prize event from May 13 to June 14, with the winner to be announced on May 12. This edition will be the first for new creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.
In partnership with the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès and the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris, the International Center of Photography in New York’s Lower East Side opened Latitudes, a program dedicated to spotlighting and supporting photographers from around the world, one country at a time. The current program honors Côte d’Ivoire, with works by Nuits Balnéaires and François-Xavier Gbré on display until May 4.
American artist Jeff Koons is honored in a new exhibit at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, displaying works from the 1980s to his more contemporary creations. Showing until July 5, the exhibit is part of Fondation Louis Vuitton’s Hors-les-murs program, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The program showcases the Fondation’s collection in various cities from Munich to Tokyo, creating a worldwide network of appreciation for the arts.
Through March 11, Ami is partnering with French brasserie Balthazar to bring Paris to the heart of Soho. The partnership will feature limited-edition, co-branded designs, packaging, and bakery items that invite guests to enjoy the allure of everyday French culture, in the midst of buzzy New York City.
For the Carolina Herrera fall 2026 show during NYFW, Wes Gordon gathered women in the arts—artists, curators, collectors, gallerists, and patrons—to walk the runway and model his new collection. Painter Amy Sherald, photographer Ming Smith, sculptor Rachel Feinstein, and gallerist Hannah Traore were among the muses for the show, which celebrated the creative power of women in the arts and their reflection in the clothes they wear.
A new exhibit, Play!, opened at the Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery in New York, exploring expressions of childhood at home. From trinkets and souvenirs to prints and patterns, the exhibit examines formative environments through pieces by various artists, featuring proportional play, trompe l’oeil techniques, and vivid colors. The exhibition will be on view through March 21.
Maison Margiela introduced MaisonMargiela/folders, a link of internal folders of archival imagery, press releases, and projects that allows viewers to go deeper into the brand. Margiela, now led by Glenn Martens, is known for turning things inside-out sartorially (Martin Margiela’s deconstructed mannequin form bodice, anyone?) and now the house continues that legacy in the digital realm. The launch of MaisonMargiela/folders comes with a series of four exhibitions in different Chinese cities, to open after the brand’s fall/winter 2026 show during Shanghai Fashion Week in April. MaisonMargiela/folders can be accessed globally via Dropbox and will continue to be updated with new files documenting the past, present, and future of the brand.
Terrence Zhou, the designer behind the statement-making label Bad Binch TongTong, is the winner of the 2026 CFDA Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant, a program that highlights AAPI designers through financial support and mentorship. Zhou’s three-piece collection explored literal incubation, with the designer’s signature sculptural dresses encased in egg-like forms. The designs, including those of finalists Allina Liu and Kim Shui, will be displayed at Genesis House in New York City through February 22.
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