Blended traditional, modern Chinese cultural styles displayed at exhibition

Artists, intangible heritage inheritors and industry experts applaud creative integration of elements

More and more Chinese artists are creating works which are influenced by both modern and traditional Chinese culture, with experts saying that it is necessary for artists to integrate cultural heritage with their own style.

The Beijing leg of the 57th International Art Exhibition, held earlier this month in Beijing, saw the integration of heritage items such as embroidery and shadow puppetry with modern works of art.

Wu Jian'an, a young artist, collaborated with Yao Huifen, an inheritor of Suzhou embroidery, to create some of the exhibits.

"It was a fantastic creative experience which drove us to despair several times," Yao told Xinhua Daily.

According to Yao, there are 40 to 50 different kinds of Suzhou embroidery, and each of her latest works features a few of them.

Wu and Yao worked together to produce several embroideries of the same image using the different techniques to demonstrate their unique qualities and differences.

Yao said that Wu's style and creativity was totally different to the traditional approaches she has taken in embroidery for the past several decades, adding that the tough creation process was worthwhile when she saw her Suzhou embroidery displayed at the exhibition.

"When intangible cultural heritage that has come from traditional society arises in the present, it is inevitably a new species," Wu said.

It is not the first time that Wu has combined traditional heritage with modern art. He has incorporated prehistoric petroglyphs, patterns on bronzeware and illustrations from the Classic of Mountains and Seas in his paintings.

Art critic Fang Zhenning said Wu is blazing a trail for modern art by introducing ancient classical symbols, but that not all such combinations are successful. He suggested artists should take a considered and respectful approach when including traditional elements with their works.

Lyu Shengzhong, former president of the School of Experimental Art at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said that it is impossible to talk about the future without respecting what has come before.

Art market analyst Ma Wei echoed Lyu's idea and said that integrating intangible cultural heritage into modern art is a double-edged sword and if the heritage is not thoughtfully used, it is easy for people to think it is spoiling traditions.

Only when artists convert Chinese traditional art ideas and methods into their own style, the interaction between the old masters and people today can be realized, said Fan Di'an, president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

He added that filling the gap between intangible heritage and modern art as well as continuing Chinese cultural heritage is an issue that the current art field must face up to.

Artist He Shibin said that traditional culture has not been appreciated for its true value in the past and that value must be protected today. He said that traditional culture should be integrated with modern art slowly.

Some porcelain exhibits including teacups and wine pots were displayed at an exhibition in Beijing on April 11, including pieces that used traditional red glaze porcelain firing techniques-an intangible cultural heritage item of Guangdong province.

The technique dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Liu Quanhui, an inheritor of the technique, chose Huang Chunmao, an associate professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, to design the pieces.

Liu said he hoped to make contributions to reviving Chinese traditional porcelain culture from his efforts.

Huang added that ancient porcelain culture can be combined with modern design art and integrated into popular culture.

(China Daily 04/19/2018 page17)