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Busy month of exhibitions and fashion gala
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IT was a busy month for art lovers in Hangzhou with exhibitions by reputed artists, a painting auction organized by a Mancunian painter, and a fashion week to go along with two garment exhibitions.
Maritime Silk Road Exhibition and Chinese Traditional Garment Exhibition
Two exhibitions of traditional Chinese dresses and outfits were held at the same time as the Asian Fashion Federation China Conference at Yuang E-fashion Town last week.
The Maritime Silk Road Exhibition was held at Hangzhou Garment Culture Museum and showcased antique costumes, accessories and shoes that were imported or exported on the Maritime Silk Road.
Interesting exhibits include qipao (cheongsam) that once belonged to an American diplomat, Chinese irons exported to Europe and used as a jewelry case because of delicate enameling decorations, lacquerware imported from Middle East, and European sewing and knitting equipment made of ivory and shell.
The museum also exhibited tens of sewing machines — electric and manual, hand-cranking and foot-stepping, of normal size and mini size. The museum owner Yao Yao is a sewing machine collector who believes “the history of sewing machine is part of modern cloth history.”
Another exhibition held 1 kilometer away exhibited hundreds of pieces of traditional Chinese garments, including children’s clothes, qipao, wedding dresses, and shoes for women with “three-inch golden lotuses” — women’s bound feet in the feudal age.
• Maritime Silk Road Exhibition
Date: Through June 15
Address: 555 E-Commerce Creative Park, 555 Yingbin Rd
• Chinese Traditional Garment Exhibition
Date: Through June 30
Address: Mansion 8, E-fashion Town,
Liangshu No. 1 Rd
Light and Breath Exhibition
German-born American artist Kiki Smith is having her first exhibition on the Chinese mainland along with her sister Seton Smith.
Kiki Smith’s drawings and videos deal with the themes of sex, birth and regeneration while Seton Smith’s works are essentially black-and-white photos.
The Light and Breath Exhibition at Inna’s Contemporary Art Space in Hangzhou runs until July 20.
Kiki Smith’s figurative works in the late 1980s and early 1990s dealt with subjects such as AIDS and gender, while her recent works have depicted the human condition in their relationship with nature.
Kiki is exhibiting two drawings of women. One of them, named Breathing, is a portrait of Seton. Of light tone and simple lines, her facial expression tells a lot.
She also has a video about prints. “I have always been interested in making and showing how prints can have various manifestations with animation being one of the possibilities,” Kiki Smith said.
Seton Smith’s photos record cottages in trees which used to house African-Americans. The interesting part is that the artist focused her lens on, not the house, but a piece of leaf, a weed, or a branch.
“I wanted to show the viewers in China another aspect of the United States that perhaps they are not aware of,” Seton Smith said.
Kiki Smith’s works have been exhibited in nearly 150 museums worldwide, as well at the Whitney Biennial, La Biennale di Firenze and the Venice Biennale.
Inna’s Contemporary Art Space is a private gallery in upscale Hangzhou.
Date: Through July 20
Address: Mansion 12, 139 Liuhe Rd
Love from Hangzhou to Manchester
Gavin Munro is a Mancunian artist who now lives in Hangzhou. After the Manchester bomb attack, Munro decided to do something.
He and his expatriate friends in Hangzhou organized two charity auctions where the paintings of the Mancunian artist were auctioned off to the highest bidder. So far they have raised 25,000 yuan (US$3,678) for the Manchester attack victims.
“Manchester’s my home city and being so far from it when the attack happened made me feel useless,” Munro explained.
They held two separate events. The first was for the foreign and Chinese communities and raised over 9,300 yuan. The second was last weekend where he was commissioned by the Indian expatriates here to paint two of their legendary cricketers. These were auctioned off and raised 13,500 yuan.
Munro’s friend and fellow organizer Alasdair MacArthur from London said “after we heard the news everyone wanted to do something. The response from the expatriate and local communities was amazing and shows the love for Manchester felt around the world.”
The painter donated eight artworks to raise cash. The largest was a 1.5-meter piece that he had painted in January as a tribute to his home city.
Visitors can see Munro’s artwork at The Kerry Centre in Hangzhou until the end of June.
Date: Through June 30
Address: Kerry Centre, 353 Yan’an Rd
Graduation Exhibition of China Academy of Art
The country’s prestigious China Academy of Art is showcasing over 400 artworks of paintings, calligraphies, sculptures, films, installations, and designs at its Nanshan campus.
The exhibits were selected from over 4,000 pieces by the university’s graduates. Two weeks ago all the 4,000 works were exhibited at the university’s Xiangshan campus.
“To students it is fair that everyone can see their work. The teachers can hear the voices from the public,” said Wang Zan, deputy director of the academy.
For eight years the academy has been exhibiting the works of its graduates to the public for free.
Date: Through June 15
Address: 218 Nanshan Rd
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