ABOUT
The Integration “Ancient & Modern”—2017 China International Metal Art Exhibition is co-hosted by Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, China Arts and Crafts Association and Beijing Gongmei Group. As one of exhibitions on “2017 Cultural and Natural Heritage Day”, it contains contemporary metal art pieces created by 31 artists from China, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The exhibition highlights the roles of technology and design concept in the creation of contemporary metal crafts, expressing new value and social demands from traditional craft and modern technology.
SELECTED EXHIBITS
Exhibit：Legend
Creator: ZHOU Shangyi, SUN Qiushuang Nationality: China
Size: 20*15*15cm Material: silk, ebony Year: 2016
Size: 20*15*15cm Material: silk, ebony Year: 2016
This work is in the shape of Chinese traditional “Ding” (an ancient cooking vessel), decorated with “four gods” (blue dragon, white tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu) in ancient Chinese mythology. Its lid top is a subtle sculpture of a young boy and a young girl, whose concrete image form a nice contrast to the geometrical shape of the circular pot body. The mix and match of multiple elements, including utility and decoration, silver and ebony, tradition and modern, as well as cast and forge, show the significance of experiment in a postmodern context.
Exhibit：Prosperity along the Road
Creator: GUO Ming, SHEN Wenguang Nationality: China
Size: 17*17*38cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze material Year: 2016
Size: 17*17*38cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze material Year: 2016
This work is made by cloisonné enamel process (one of China’s intangible cultural heritage), in a Chinese classic shape—Guanyin zun. It takes patterns related to the Silk Road in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes as its design theme, and combines the sailing pattern of sea-ship, demonstrating the Belt and Road of contemporary China.
Exhibit : Bird
Creator: Do-sik Seo Nationality: Republic of Korea
Size: 28*11.5*23.5cm Material: silver, wood, gold foil, Chinese lacquer Year: 2017
Size: 28*11.5*23.5cm Material: silver, wood, gold foil, Chinese lacquer Year: 2017
The image of this work is a silver bady bird. Noticeably, the pot body is made of a whole piece of metal glazed with Chinese lacquer.
Exhibit: Luxurious carriage with irises and orchids pattern for storing study articles
Creator: CHENG Shumei Nationality: China
Size: 40*26*32cm Material: silver, gold Year: 2016
Size: 40*26*32cm Material: silver, gold Year: 2016
This work is designed by Chinese master craftsman CHENG Shumei, using filigree inlaying process. The whole piece is exquisitely wrought, resplendent and magnificent. This storage vessel is designed into a treasure carriage, which is both very ornamental and practical. It is an ornamental furnishing in which study articles can be collected, and on which incense set can be placed.
In the upper part of the work, above the carriage, four fences around are openworks carved with Guaizi dragon pattern (a pattern formed of spiral spray and dragon, used for decoration), with precious pearls on four corners, and the frames are decorated with plain filigree of rectangular spirals. On the medallions on four sides, there are 20 freely opened windows in total, each two as a pair. The middle part of this work is inlaid with delicate filigree of date flower mosaic. As for the bottom part, a dragon dabbling design is exquisitely engraved on the fences. The wheels can rotate at will, and the top of the axle is inlaid with a jeweled filigreeing flower head.
Exhibit :Gold and silver stained vessel
Creator: Hirotomo Maeda Nationality: Japan
Size: 19*19*30cm Material: fine silver and gold Year: 2014
Size: 19*19*30cm Material: fine silver and gold Year: 2014
The common metal inlay is inlaid at the surface of a basic molded vessel. However, the inlay part of this work is finished in a planar state. The creator firstly carves out tiny grid on a round fine silver plate, engraving grooves according to the design, and then glides the hollow of these grooves, as an inlay process. Then, they are stroke by the anvil and forging hammer. After dozens of times of annealing and forging, the work gradually goes up and is lengthened from a plate to a more solid form. In this process of molding, the pattern of gold line changes with the shape of silver plate. Finally, the pattern at the surface of a finished work turns out to be shaped by the change of metal and its forming process, with the unique appearance.
Exhibit: Pine and Eagle
Creator: CHU Jinxia Nationality: China
Size: 38*26*10cm Material: red copper, gold Year: 2016
Size: 38*26*10cm Material: red copper, gold Year: 2016
Pine and Eagle is CHU Yanqing’s representative iron picture, which won the gold award of World Art Modelling Exposition in 1959.
This work is made of red copper. After blanking, relief forging, welding, partly and overall modeling, it is then plated with pure silver and 24k gold (easy to deform), and is overall modelled again. The base is made of ebony, foiled by natural silk, leaving an antique, decent and concise impression.
Exhibit: Mutual support and love
Creator: XIE Yong Nationality: China
Size: 30*30*48cm Material: red copper Year: 2017
Size: 30*30*48cm Material: red copper Year: 2017
This work presents a mutual support and love status in a relationship using abstract design elements. It includes processes such as metal fabricating, surface corrosive effect, as well as silver and platinum painting.
Exhibit: Harmonious and Happy
Creator: ZHONG Liansheng Nationality: China
Size: 26*26*18cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze Year: 2016
Size: 26*26*18cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze Year: 2016
This cloisonné enamel food box is simple in shape. As the Chinese character “荷” (lotus flower), “和” (harmony), “盒” (box) and “合”(bond) all share the same pronunciation, its name shows a good wish of “harmony and close relationship”. Lotus is a root-climber, with flourishing branches, leaves and flowers. Since lotus is an image associated with stable foundation and flourishing branches, the lotus cluster pattern on this work reflects beautiful wishes of generation stretching and family flourishing with harmony and happiness.
Exhibit: Joy of sharing
Creator: Helen Marriott Nationality: the United Kingdom
Size: 22*8*2cm Material: silver, citrine, aquamarine Year: 2007
Size: 22*8*2cm Material: silver, citrine, aquamarine Year: 2007
This work consists of a silver cake split shovel interiorly decorated with aquamarine and a silver fish split shovel interiorly decorated with citrine. The blade is designed into a silver-made wide-mouth plate with stereoscopic circle elements; the part that connects silver shank integrates a round hole design element. The whole fish split shovel and cake split shovel incorporate a inspiration of adding bead and stone elements.
Exhibit: A cloud rolling in (silverware)
Creator: GUO Xin Nationality: China
Size: 24*8*16cm Material: copper, enamel Year: 2017
Size: 24*8*16cm Material: copper, enamel Year: 2017
Exhibit: Money Tree
Creator: WANG Peng Nationality: China
Size: 40*40*80cm Material: silver, gold-plating Year: 2017
Size: 40*40*80cm Material: silver, gold-plating Year: 2017
This work is fixed, reformed and designed based on the prototype of an ancient Chinese money tree, which is related to the Hsi Wang Mu (a queen in ancient Chinese mythology), showing people’s desire of getting rich at that time. Hsi Wang Mu, as an emperor of the Heaven, is the god of human happiness and longevity, bearing people’s pursuit of good wishes. The money tree is the very carrier of this good wish.
Exhibit: Necklace
Creator: WANG Chungang Nationality: the United States
Size: 30*28*3cm Material: silver Year: 2017
Size: 30*28*3cm Material: silver Year: 2017
This jewelry design work takes a natural and pure shape, expressing a sense of quietness, peace and innocence through a harmonious proportion and free style.
Exhibit: Gold and Porcelain
Creator: ZHENG Jing, QIAN Wanghao Nationality: China
Size: 8*8*26cm Material: silver Year: 2016
Size: 8*8*26cm Material: silver Year: 2016
This exhibit draws inspiration from the traditional china, applying the classical shape of China into a modern metal vessel.
Exhibit : Vigorous Vitality
Creator: ZOU Ningxin Nationality: China
Size: 25*13*20cm Material: 925 silver, ebony Year: 2009
Size: 25*13*20cm Material: 925 silver, ebony Year: 2009
This set of works are tea set and coffee set, including 4 pieces in total. It is hammered and welded by 925 silver, and equipped with ebony handle. The design originates from newly generated south bamboo growing in the early spring, symbolizing endless growing and vigorous vitality.
Exhibit：Legend
Creator: ZHOU Shangyi, SUN Qiushuang Nationality: China
Size: 20*15*15cm Material: silk, ebony Year: 2016
Size: 20*15*15cm Material: silk, ebony Year: 2016
This work is in the shape of Chinese traditional “Ding” (an ancient cooking vessel), decorated with “four gods” (blue dragon, white tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu) in ancient Chinese mythology. Its lid top is a subtle sculpture of a young boy and a young girl, whose concrete image form a nice contrast to the geometrical shape of the circular pot body. The mix and match of multiple elements, including utility and decoration, silver and ebony, tradition and modern, as well as cast and forge, show the significance of experiment in a postmodern context.
Exhibit：Prosperity along the Road
Creator: GUO Ming, SHEN Wenguang Nationality: China
Size: 17*17*38cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze material Year: 2016
Size: 17*17*38cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze material Year: 2016
This work is made by cloisonné enamel process (one of China’s intangible cultural heritage), in a Chinese classic shape—Guanyin zun. It takes patterns related to the Silk Road in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes as its design theme, and combines the sailing pattern of sea-ship, demonstrating the Belt and Road of contemporary China.
Exhibit : Bird
Creator: Do-sik Seo Nationality: Republic of Korea
Size: 28*11.5*23.5cm Material: silver, wood, gold foil, Chinese lacquer Year: 2017
Size: 28*11.5*23.5cm Material: silver, wood, gold foil, Chinese lacquer Year: 2017
The image of this work is a silver bady bird. Noticeably, the pot body is made of a whole piece of metal glazed with Chinese lacquer.
Exhibit: Luxurious carriage with irises and orchids pattern for storing study articles
Creator: CHENG Shumei Nationality: China
Size: 40*26*32cm Material: silver, gold Year: 2016
Size: 40*26*32cm Material: silver, gold Year: 2016
This work is designed by Chinese master craftsman CHENG Shumei, using filigree inlaying process. The whole piece is exquisitely wrought, resplendent and magnificent. This storage vessel is designed into a treasure carriage, which is both very ornamental and practical. It is an ornamental furnishing in which study articles can be collected, and on which incense set can be placed.
In the upper part of the work, above the carriage, four fences around are openworks carved with Guaizi dragon pattern (a pattern formed of spiral spray and dragon, used for decoration), with precious pearls on four corners, and the frames are decorated with plain filigree of rectangular spirals. On the medallions on four sides, there are 20 freely opened windows in total, each two as a pair. The middle part of this work is inlaid with delicate filigree of date flower mosaic. As for the bottom part, a dragon dabbling design is exquisitely engraved on the fences. The wheels can rotate at will, and the top of the axle is inlaid with a jeweled filigreeing flower head.
Exhibit :Gold and silver stained vessel
Creator: Hirotomo Maeda Nationality: Japan
Size: 19*19*30cm Material: fine silver and gold Year: 2014
Size: 19*19*30cm Material: fine silver and gold Year: 2014
The common metal inlay is inlaid at the surface of a basic molded vessel. However, the inlay part of this work is finished in a planar state. The creator firstly carves out tiny grid on a round fine silver plate, engraving grooves according to the design, and then glides the hollow of these grooves, as an inlay process. Then, they are stroke by the anvil and forging hammer. After dozens of times of annealing and forging, the work gradually goes up and is lengthened from a plate to a more solid form. In this process of molding, the pattern of gold line changes with the shape of silver plate. Finally, the pattern at the surface of a finished work turns out to be shaped by the change of metal and its forming process, with the unique appearance.
Exhibit: Pine and Eagle
Creator: CHU Jinxia Nationality: China
Size: 38*26*10cm Material: red copper, gold Year: 2016
Size: 38*26*10cm Material: red copper, gold Year: 2016
Pine and Eagle is CHU Yanqing’s representative iron picture, which won the gold award of World Art Modelling Exposition in 1959.
This work is made of red copper. After blanking, relief forging, welding, partly and overall modeling, it is then plated with pure silver and 24k gold (easy to deform), and is overall modelled again. The base is made of ebony, foiled by natural silk, leaving an antique, decent and concise impression.
Exhibit: Mutual support and love
Creator: XIE Yong Nationality: China
Size: 30*30*48cm Material: red copper Year: 2017
Size: 30*30*48cm Material: red copper Year: 2017
This work presents a mutual support and love status in a relationship using abstract design elements. It includes processes such as metal fabricating, surface corrosive effect, as well as silver and platinum painting.
Exhibit: Harmonious and Happy
Creator: ZHONG Liansheng Nationality: China
Size: 26*26*18cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze Year: 2016
Size: 26*26*18cm Material: red copper, enamel glaze Year: 2016
This cloisonné enamel food box is simple in shape. As the Chinese character “荷” (lotus flower), “和” (harmony), “盒” (box) and “合”(bond) all share the same pronunciation, its name shows a good wish of “harmony and close relationship”. Lotus is a root-climber, with flourishing branches, leaves and flowers. Since lotus is an image associated with stable foundation and flourishing branches, the lotus cluster pattern on this work reflects beautiful wishes of generation stretching and family flourishing with harmony and happiness.
Exhibit: Joy of sharing
Creator: Helen Marriott Nationality: the United Kingdom
Size: 22*8*2cm Material: silver, citrine, aquamarine Year: 2007
Size: 22*8*2cm Material: silver, citrine, aquamarine Year: 2007
This work consists of a silver cake split shovel interiorly decorated with aquamarine and a silver fish split shovel interiorly decorated with citrine. The blade is designed into a silver-made wide-mouth plate with stereoscopic circle elements; the part that connects silver shank integrates a round hole design element. The whole fish split shovel and cake split shovel incorporate a inspiration of adding bead and stone elements.
Exhibit: A cloud rolling in (silverware)
Creator: GUO Xin Nationality: China
Size: 24*8*16cm Material: copper, enamel Year: 2017
Size: 24*8*16cm Material: copper, enamel Year: 2017
Exhibit: Money Tree
Creator: WANG Peng Nationality: China
Size: 40*40*80cm Material: silver, gold-plating Year: 2017
Size: 40*40*80cm Material: silver, gold-plating Year: 2017
This work is fixed, reformed and designed based on the prototype of an ancient Chinese money tree, which is related to the Hsi Wang Mu (a queen in ancient Chinese mythology), showing people’s desire of getting rich at that time. Hsi Wang Mu, as an emperor of the Heaven, is the god of human happiness and longevity, bearing people’s pursuit of good wishes. The money tree is the very carrier of this good wish.
Exhibit: Necklace
Creator: WANG Chungang Nationality: the United States
Size: 30*28*3cm Material: silver Year: 2017
Size: 30*28*3cm Material: silver Year: 2017
This jewelry design work takes a natural and pure shape, expressing a sense of quietness, peace and innocence through a harmonious proportion and free style.
Exhibit: Gold and Porcelain
Creator: ZHENG Jing, QIAN Wanghao Nationality: China
Size: 8*8*26cm Material: silver Year: 2016
Size: 8*8*26cm Material: silver Year: 2016
This exhibit draws inspiration from the traditional china, applying the classical shape of China into a modern metal vessel.
Exhibit : Vigorous Vitality
Creator: ZOU Ningxin Nationality: China
Size: 25*13*20cm Material: 925 silver, ebony Year: 2009
Size: 25*13*20cm Material: 925 silver, ebony Year: 2009
This set of works are tea set and coffee set, including 4 pieces in total. It is hammered and welded by 925 silver, and equipped with ebony handle. The design originates from newly generated south bamboo growing in the early spring, symbolizing endless growing and vigorous vitality.
