Opening Reception: Friday, 7 September 5-7pm
Pearl Lam Galleries Special Project Space will present Boat by Beijing-born artist Zhu Jinshi – a new 15-metre installation composed of 10,000 sheets of rice paper that took 50 days and 14 skilled workers to construct. The traditional Chinese rice paper (xuan) that is the primary medium embodies tensile strength and resistance to corrosion, symbolic of time itself. Zhu Jinshi says of his piece, “While time only moves forward, the Boat can sail in any direction. The Boat's cultural resonance is constructed of time itself, continuously ebbing and flowing through our imagination.” Zhu Jinshi’s artistic career spanning over 30 years has garnered much international acclaim, from his first participation in the seminal 1st and 2nd Stars exhibitions in Beijing (1979, 1980) and 4th Istanbul Biennale (1995), to his solo exhibition On the Road at the Prague City Museum, Czech Republic (2002) and presentation in China Moon at the Watermill Center, New York (2004) and Mind Space: Minimalism in Contrasts, University of Pittsburgh (2011).
About Zhu Jinshi
Zhu Jinshi was born in Beijing, China in 1954. After completing an artist-in-residency in Germany and teaching in the Architecture Department of the Berlin Technical University, Zhu returned to Beijing, where he currently lives and works. He began painting abstract works in the late 1970s, and participated in the Stars group exhibition, the first avant-garde art exhibition after the Cultural Revolution. Zhu has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions including Zhu Jinshi (Blum and Poe Gallery, Los Angeles, 2012), Mind Space: Maximalism in Contrasts (University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2011), Power and Jiangshan (Arario Gallery Beijing, 2008), On the Road (Prague City Museum, Czech Republic, 2002), Fangzhen (Berlin DAAD Gallery, 1990) and Chinese Contemporary Abstract, 1980s until Present: MINDMAP (Pearl Lam Galleries’ inaugural show in Hong Kong, 2012). Zhu’s work is represented in many private and public collections across the globe, including Canada where his rice paper installation The Tao of Xuan Paper (1997) is on permanent display at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
About Pearl Lam Galleries
Pearl Lam started exhibiting and promoting Chinese contemporary art and design in 1993 in Hong Kong. Currently, Pearl Lam Galleries consists of two spaces in Shanghai: a Fine Art Gallery and a Special Project Space; as well as the recently-launched gallery in Hong Kong. Pearl Lam Galleries will also open a new design gallery in Shanghai and a major space at Gillman Barracks in Singapore in 2013.
Presenting an exhibition program of the highest quality, Pearl Lam Galleries has championed the promotion and re-evaluation of the philosophy, perceptions and aesthetics of Chinese art for almost 20 years. From an early stage, popular touring shows, such as Awakening: La France Mandarine, the French influence on Chinese Art (2004-06), characterised the exhibition program with their intercultural dialogue and dynamic work by international artists from established and emerging markets. Exhibiting Chinese artists such as Lan Zhenghui, Li Tianbing, Shao Fan, Wang Dongling, Zhang Huan, Zheng Chongbin, and Zhu Jinshi reinterpret traditions, fuse cross-cultural influences and examine China today. The exhibition program also presents major solo exhibitions of international artists stimulating cross-cultural dialogue and cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.
Pearl Lam Galleries has also tirelessly promoted design as an art form in China. Pearl Lam has funded an artist-in-residence program for artists and designers across the globe. Pearl Lam Design shows works by established and emerging international designers including André Dubreuil, Maarten Baas, Mattia Bonetti, and Studio Makkink & Bey. They are invited to push the boundaries of traditional Chinese art and craft techniques and create new works that reflect their experiences in China.
The Hong Kong gallery program features both fine art and design exhibitions to complement the existing programs of the Shanghai galleries. It will continue to support young emerging artists such as Tsang Kin-Wah. ¬¬¬The gallery will also bring solo shows by major international artists to Hong Kong, including Jenny Holzer and Yinka Shonibare in 2013.