New heritage skills studio opens with display by Israeli silversmith
Israeli silversmith Avinoam Israelov displays one of his menorahs at a newly opened studio in Hongkou District Tuesday.
Israeli silversmith Avinoam Israelov, 65, is demonstrating his skills and his work at a studio which opened to the public Tuesday.
He has brought 26 pieces he made with his late partner, Menashe Kadishman, and will be giving lectures on traditional Jewish silversmithing at 52 Duolun Road in Hongkou District. The exhibition runs to the end of the year.
“Both Israeli and Chinese people have endured a lot of suffering in wars, so the art should resonate with locals,” Israelov said.
Many of his pieces have been collected by museums, including Berlin’s Museumsinsel.
The items he has brought to Shanghai include traditional Jewish silverware, ornaments and ritual vessels.
He created a candlestick with a map of China on it for the current event.
A total of 16 masters of their crafts, including Israelov, have signed up to showcase their work and give lectures.
Their skills include jade, ivory and stone carving, silk embroidery, ceramics, ancient pottery preservation, Chinese ink painting and calligraphy.
The Hundred Masters’ Workshop program aims to promote Chinese and overseas heritage skills among local citizens as well as allowing the artists to meet each other to create some “transboundary” artwork, said Tang Haoqiang, a workshop official.
Visitors can talk to the masters and learn some basic skills, Tang said.
The venue is open to the public free between 9am and 7pm every day.
A Croatian urban sculptor is due to display his miniature sculptures at the workshop soon, and negotiations are ongoing with a leatherware master from Thailand and a goldsmith from Italy.
