Summer blooms with an exhibition of romantic motifs
What is the underlying theme of summer days? Art+ Shanghai Gallery's response is "romance."
Its summer exhibition, "In Between Days," brings together six artists who use various materials and forms to explore the relationship between sentient beings. The works cover a variety of subjects but still create a harmonious visual impact.
Fang Xu, a sculptor and artist, has brought his "Half a Smile" series to the exhibition. He interprets "romance" through "loneliness," a recurring theme in his work. By displaying their sad, sentimental eyes, he explores the loneliness that is deeply rooted in people's minds – even when they are in a group or in a relationship.
"Loneliness" is a recurrent theme in Fang Xu's works.
Meanwhile, Loewe Foundation Craft Prize winner Lin Fanglu's idea of romance is linked with ethnic minority women and traditional craftsmanship. Her series, "She's Red Shining," "She's Green Shining" and "She's Yellow Shining," features dye-tied, handmade fabric shaped with colorful acrylic mounting boxes. The series explores the relationship between mankind and nature as well as traditional craftsmanship and modern techniques.
"She's Green Shining" by Lin Fanglu
Artist Jiang Yifan also focuses on romance and women. Her silk painting series "Moment of Fantasy" comes from her obsession with a mysterious and unreal dreamland of women that appears in classic novels, poems, and Chinese myths.
"My in-depth study of Chinese art at university has influenced my artistic style," she said. "When I looked at these ancient works, explored these mountains and rivers, and these temples, with artists who came before me, a different way of combining them came to my mind."
"Moon and Desert" by Jiang Yifan
Exhibition info:
Date: Through September 4 (closed on Mondays), 10:30am-6:30pm
Venue: Art+ Shanghai Gallery
Address: L207, 99 Beijing Rd E.
