“Into the Future: Arts of Liuli” Symposium
On October 19, Shanghai Art Museum hosted the symposium, “Into the Future: Arts of Liuli” in partnership with the Liuli China Museum. The invited panelists that included noted international artists and critics drew an energized crowd of over 150.
Tang Si-fu, Director of Liuli China Museum led the panel which included Director of Moon River Museum of Contemporary Art, Victoria Lu, noted international curator, Wang Chia-Chi, Professor of History at Fudan University, Gu Xiao-Ming, Head of the Glass Studio at Shanghai University Zhuang Xiao-Wei, and Director of Academic Research Department of the Shanghai Art Museum Xiao Xiao-Lan. This formidable group evaluated Liuli as modern art, its evolution and development and its future standing.
Tang prefaced the discussion by introducing the twenty-year evolution and development of the peony as Liuligongfang’s symbol which in turn introduced one of the main topics of discussion: if the essential spirit of contemporary art is “change” then the change coming to the Liuli art environment of the future will be nothing short of groundbreaking.
During the discussion Shanghai Art Museum Director Li Lei addressed the two obstacles facing contemporary Liuli art: technical excellence and artistic excellence. Due to material characteristics and a skill heavy process, freedom of creativity can be lost along the way. In addition, Liuli art is often measured by its superior flawlessness. Yet “imperfection” and “flaws” are often seen as what makes art unique and valuable and what imbues it with emotion. How can we surpass perfection to create an alternate aesthetics in Liuli art? This is a future challenge.
“Yin” is sound and “Guan Yin” is the Goddess of Mercy. Professor Gu believes that as sound exists within the deity, it does within Liuli as well. This is not a literal aural expression but rather an interpretation of the “Zen” theory through life and illustrates that Liuli art holds the capacity to reach different mediums. Zhuang Xiao-Wei added that Liuli art is in an era of mass change. Traditional means and standards still exist but modern technology is challenging artists to come up with new means of expression and showing them new creative realms. It will be interesting to see the impact of moving images and installation on Liuli art in this exhibition.
In the “Shanghai eArts Festival” curated by Victoria Lu, the emphasis is placed on the idea that contemporary art cannot be measured by traditional standards and can no longer exist in one sole category. To reach new heights and accomplishments, to affect the human spirit, and to be everlasting – that is art. In this era of technological omnipresence where information and power lie at our fingertips, artists need to delve deeper to unearth the meaning behind their work and use these new powers of communication to their advantage. This is the other challenge as mentioned earlier.
Curator Wang Chia-Chi views the issue from the angle of art history. It is virtually impossible to find any discussion of Liuli in Chinese history. It was only after the Liuligongfang team of filmmakers came along that Liuli was given a past. Loretta H.Yang and Chang Yi base their vision on a pair of Liuli ear cups found in the tomb of Emperor Liu Sheng during China’s Western Han Dynasty. They also commonly reference the teachings of philosopher Lao Tze, Chuang Tze and Buddhism to strengthen Liuli’s place in China and its relationship to Chinese culture. Raised in a generation caught between the China and Taiwan conflict of the 50s, Yang and Chang sought to reestablish and mend the psychological disconnection between the Chinese people and its culture. The two were intent on reintegrating the Liuli lost-wax casting technique back into Chinese life. While they recognize the place of western Liuli, their emphasis will always be on the impact of Chinese Liuli.
Wang feels that Yang’s most outstanding work can be found in her peony creations. Not only do they show off the technical aspect of Liuli, they present a pure simplicity through poignant layers to give the audience a new understanding of the art. Liuli art is still in its formative years. While Yang presents a straightforward representation through Chinese culture, Liuli has the rest of the world to discover.
Xiao Xiao-Lan recognizes the importance of Liuli craft. She mentions that although Liuli art is aesthetically enticing, the unfamiliarity of Liuli as material to the layperson is a hindrance when it comes to forming an emotional attachment. One way to resolve this is to incorporate the material in different artistic forums to increase common understanding and familiarity with Liuli.
In conclusion, Liuli has a vast and promising future in the realm of contemporary art. The two most difficult obstacles it faces are technique and method of expression. Technical expression is a direct reflection of the art. When the artist employs new techniques, combines different mediums, challenges the core of Liuli and incorporates societal influence, the future of Liuli becomes a reality.
This symposium was held in conjunction with the opening of Loretta H. Yang: Inspiration 20 held at the Liuli China Museum on October 25, 2007.
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