Ancient Robes, New Ideas

Ancient Robes, New Ideas
Venue: Plum Blossoms Gallery Hong Kong
G6, Chinachem Hollywood Center, 1 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong (directly opposite Central Police Station)
Date: June 7 - 18, 2005
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10 am – 6:30 pm
Sundays Closed

Plum Blossoms Gallery Hong Kong is pleased to present Ancient Robes, New Ideas, an exhibition juxtaposes the old and the new. On display are ancient Chinese imperial court robes, Chinese ink robe paintings by Peng wei and 3D mixed media robes by Chen Qing Qing. The image of robe is re-born in different forms of existence, in different space and through different artists' creative minds. Exhibition runs from June 7 - 18, 2005.

Peng Wei’s traditional Chinese paintings of court costume are delicate and beautiful in the tradition of Chinese watercolors, but the subject matter is starkly different. Peng Wei is on a search for the cultural myth in modern Chinese society. Materialism and consumerism wash away the missing links of cultural identity where robe has always been a part of it. Born in 1974 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Peng Wei graduated from Nankai University with a BA in art in 1997 and later earned a MA in philosophy in 2000. Peng Wei is currently an editor for “Art Magazine Now” in China. Her recent works have been shown in Beijing Guangzhou, Malaysia and Korea.

Chen Qing Qing uses flax, dried flowers and stems to ‘weave’ the illusionistic, soft looking of robes. While robes were the personal possessions of many women of the olden days, Qing Qing inserted the advertisements “marriage wanted”that are commonly found in the newspapers to her mixed media robes, known as “Looking for a Partner” series. Born in 1953 in Beijing, Qing Qing first studied traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing and then studied English and German Literature Studies in Beijing and Vienna. Not until 1994 Qing Qing started working as a professional artist. Her works have been widely exhibited over the world including China, Japan, Vienna, Germany and England.

Antique Robes

Not only works by the two contemporary artists, on display are also the antique Chinese robes made of kesi and silk, dated from 18th to 19th centuries.