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The exhibition “The Art of Bamboo: from Qilin to Contemporary Art” aims to showcase an important element essential part of Chinese culture and intangible heritage.
Bamboo is an essential element of Chinese art and culture. The plant embodies a number of values sought after by Chinese literati and philosophers: its suppleness and flexibility, as bamboo does not break. It embodies humility; while standing straight erect, its evergreen vividness projects its ability to survive under different climates and conditions, exuding both strength and elegance.
Bamboo is also used as a construction material, to build the stages of traditional performances or as scaffolding for building or renovation.
This exhibition focuses on the work of one artist Louis To (杜煥), whose works enables this traditional craft to evolve into the contemporary art scene.
The exhibition comprises three parts. It starts with the Chinese mystical animals Qilin and Chiwen, which are Louis’s classical works, and features a giant “Flying Qilin” floating over the gallery, allowing visitors to walk underneath its body and to discover its intricate internal structure. It is purposefully covered and decorated only partially so as to reveal the different stages of its fabrication process.
The artist then takes us on the journey of the use of bamboo crafts in our daily lives, from the part played by bamboo used in building scaffoldings, to bamboo props used for various rituals and which evolved onto the stage during dance and drama performances.
The exhibition concludes with how the artist is able to blend and evolve further this ancient Chinese craft of bamboo sculpting with Western modern art. The highlight of this section is when Louis showcases in his contemporary bamboo sculpture, integrating the multiple angles and various perspectives, to evolve a two- dimensional contemporary painting into a three-dimensional artwork.
Included in the exhibition is a documentary video, giving a glimpse into the art of making such delicate yet strong sculptures, and how the artist has carved a path towards the future of the art of bamboo, evolving it an ancient craft to contemporary art, and with the hopes to inspire young people and aspiring artists to take up this art form to make it their own.
Bamboo is an essential element of Chinese art and culture. The plant embodies a number of values sought after by Chinese literati and philosophers: its suppleness and flexibility, as bamboo does not break. It embodies humility; while standing straight erect, its evergreen vividness projects its ability to survive under different climates and conditions, exuding both strength and elegance.
Bamboo is also used as a construction material, to build the stages of traditional performances or as scaffolding for building or renovation.
This exhibition focuses on the work of one artist Louis To (杜煥), whose works enables this traditional craft to evolve into the contemporary art scene.
The exhibition comprises three parts. It starts with the Chinese mystical animals Qilin and Chiwen, which are Louis’s classical works, and features a giant “Flying Qilin” floating over the gallery, allowing visitors to walk underneath its body and to discover its intricate internal structure. It is purposefully covered and decorated only partially so as to reveal the different stages of its fabrication process.
The artist then takes us on the journey of the use of bamboo crafts in our daily lives, from the part played by bamboo used in building scaffoldings, to bamboo props used for various rituals and which evolved onto the stage during dance and drama performances.
The exhibition concludes with how the artist is able to blend and evolve further this ancient Chinese craft of bamboo sculpting with Western modern art. The highlight of this section is when Louis showcases in his contemporary bamboo sculpture, integrating the multiple angles and various perspectives, to evolve a two- dimensional contemporary painting into a three-dimensional artwork.
Included in the exhibition is a documentary video, giving a glimpse into the art of making such delicate yet strong sculptures, and how the artist has carved a path towards the future of the art of bamboo, evolving it an ancient craft to contemporary art, and with the hopes to inspire young people and aspiring artists to take up this art form to make it their own.
