While exhibitions of contemporary Chinese art have been mounting in Western galleries for years, design by a new generation of furniture-makers has remained extremely rare in these parts. Until now, that is.
In London, the largest and most comprehensive show of Chinese design to date has opened at Themes & Variations in Notting Hill. The selling exhibition represents a group of designers who are creating in a prolific way, freed from the artistic suppression under Mao.
For 'Chinese Design Today', on show until 8 December, gallerist Liliane Fawcett has amassed a body of original work from 16 emerging and established designers, chosen from within China and the widespread diaspora. Their source material ranges from shipping crates that are then upcycled into bedroom furniture to model airplanes coated in real plumage.
For instance onetime calligrapher Chen Qing Qing, from Beijing, reinterprets traditional fashion in hemp. Zhang Zhoujie engineers futuristic furniture from hard-edged, contemporary metals. And July Chow, a political activist and filmmaker, pays homage to traditional Chinese building techniques in his range of acrylic furnishings.
Li Lihong, China's answer to Grayson Perry, uses traditional porcelain-painting techniques to adorn ceramics with instantly recognisable iconography from the present day. His output comments on China's conflicted relationship with Western imports and trends.
In most cases the medium is the message in 'Chinese Design Today', be it a fascination with millennia of history, deference toward tried-and-tested customs or the opposite: rejection of outmoded rituals.
'Summer Palace 2 Console', 2012, by July Chow.
'Zhongtang Armchair', 2012, by July Chow, in Perspex and elm wood.
The catalpa and elm 'King Chair', from a 1995 design by sculptor Shao Fan. This is no.53 of a limited edition of 70.
'Bench No.2', 2012, in wood and wool, by Gu Yeli.
Jia Li's limited-edition 'Memory Box Table/Stool', 2012, in Plexiglas, silk and iron wire.
'Mickey Mouse', 2009, by Li Lihong.
ADDRESS
Themes & Variations
231 Westbourne Grove
London W11 2SE
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
New global design destination House of Wang opens in BeijingA new retail destination offering a curated edit of the best contemporary design opens its doors within a historical setting
-
Plywood pavilion transforms into 410 furniture piecesIn Fuqing, a small rural community in China, 410 plywood tables and chairs have been constructed from Furniture Pavilion S, an architect-built exhibition space, giving a new lease of life to this temporary structure
-
Meet the next generation of creative forces reshaping Chinese design topography -
China’s design footprint evolves with a new Beijing showcase -
Top 9 Chinese designers at Design Shanghai -
Shifting perspectives: from Nendo to Naihan Li, a survey of Asian design opens at M+ Hong Kong -
At Hong Kong Department Store, savour local design and the city’s forgotten crafts -
Metallic moments: Michael Young presents the evolution of aluminium
