Luo Songsong

    songsongluo@126.com

    SHHH! A solemn ceremony is in progress.

    In a dark environment lightened by lamps and torches and filled with the gentle sound of a guzheng, artists slowly take out handfuls of raw rice from several pottery

containers and carefully spread them on the floor in lines in imitation of a simple ink pattern displayed on a large poster that resembles the Chinese character 善, meaning “kindness.”

    Organized by the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, the exhibition teleports people to centuries long past through a series of daily use items from ancient China and modern designs inspired by typical Chinese elements on display on grass mats along the walls.

    The exhibit starts with a fan, which shares the same pronunciation as kindness, in various shapes made by natural plants. “Inspired by my mother who once collected fallen palm leaves to make fans stitched with cloth, I later developed an interest and realized that handcrafted fans vary from region to region in China,” said Li Fojun, designer of the fans.

    Through a collection of 20 large and exquisite books that record more than 3,000 classic designs from different regions dating back more than 5,000 years, people can experience the wisdom of ancient Chinese and old lifestyles.

    There are also displays of symbolic Chinese objects such as pottery, tea cups and movable type printing tools, one of the four great inventions of ancient China. In every corner stands several brooms made of dried grass and wooden chairs in imitation of rural life.

    “We not only need to respect and inherit classic Chinese culture, but also need to preserve and innovate,” said Kong Sen, chief curator of the exhibition.

    Decades ago, a thermos bottle was an essential commodity in every Chinese family. The bottles on exhibition are transparent and functional and display the classic logo 囍, meaning “happiness.”

    Meanwhile, the conventional, dull and rigid packaging for tea tins has been replaced by brighter colors, and traditional Chinese characters have been adjusted to show their vigor and future possibilities.

    Separated by black cloth, the spacious exhibition hall is divided into several sections, creating a sense of mystery and gloom. On a natural grass mat lays a set of exquisite tea tools, a metal vase and several cushions at one end while a guzheng on a wooden table in front of a hanging rugged cloth is displayed on the other end in an attempt to restore the simple but meaningful lifestyle of ancient Chinese scholars.

    Walking through winding staircases decorated like a traditional Chinese funeral ceremony with white papers on walls and handrails, visitors are led up to the last part of the exhibition, themed “future.”

    Behind an area filled with broken cups on the floor, there is a green plant growing in a huge pot that contains soil at the bottom and industrial rubbish in the middle, all in an effort to create public awareness of environmental protection and as a reflection on China’s rapid development.

    Behind the plant, a series of design sketches by a number of students from Shenzhen Polytechnic are wired together.

    “Kind design is environmentally friendly, practical and exquisite while vicious design is gimmicky and visual pollution. In the future, design will play a more important role in urban planning. Thus, designers should take more social responsibilities to create more kind designs,” said Kong.

    Dates: Until Dec. 28

    Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Venue: Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, intersection of Jinhu Road and Yinhu Road, Futian District (福田区银湖路金湖路口深圳画院)

    Buses: 4, 5, 7, 46, 69, 201

Luo Songsong

songsongluo@126.com

SHHH! A solemn ceremony is in progress.

In a dark environment lightened by lamps and torches and filled with the gentle sound of a guzheng, artists slowly take out handfuls of raw rice from several pottery

containers and carefully spread them on the floor in lines in imitation of a simple ink pattern displayed on a large poster that resembles the Chinese character 善, meaning “kindness.”

Organized by the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, the exhibition teleports people to centuries long past through a series of daily use items from ancient China and modern designs inspired by typical Chinese elements on display on grass mats along the walls.

The exhibit starts with a fan, which shares the same pronunciation as kindness, in various shapes made by natural plants. “Inspired by my mother who once collected fallen palm leaves to make fans stitched with cloth, I later developed an interest and realized that handcrafted fans vary from region to region in China,” said Li Fojun, designer of the fans.

Through a collection of 20 large and exquisite books that record more than 3,000 classic designs from different regions dating back more than 5,000 years, people can experience the wisdom of ancient Chinese and old lifestyles.

There are also displays of symbolic Chinese objects such as pottery, tea cups and movable type printing tools, one of the four great inventions of ancient China. In every corner stands several brooms made of dried grass and wooden chairs in imitation of rural life.

“We not only need to respect and inherit classic Chinese culture, but also need to preserve and innovate,” said Kong Sen, chief curator of the exhibition.

Decades ago, a thermos bottle was an essential commodity in every Chinese family. The bottles on exhibition are transparent and functional and display the classic logo 囍, meaning “happiness.”

Meanwhile, the conventional, dull and rigid packaging for tea tins has been replaced by brighter colors, and traditional Chinese characters have been adjusted to show their vigor and future possibilities.

Separated by black cloth, the spacious exhibition hall is divided into several sections, creating a sense of mystery and gloom. On a natural grass mat lays a set of exquisite tea tools, a metal vase and several cushions at one end while a guzheng on a wooden table in front of a hanging rugged cloth is displayed on the other end in an attempt to restore the simple but meaningful lifestyle of ancient Chinese scholars.

Walking through winding staircases decorated like a traditional Chinese funeral ceremony with white papers on walls and handrails, visitors are led up to the last part of the exhibition, themed “future.”

Behind an area filled with broken cups on the floor, there is a green plant growing in a huge pot that contains soil at the bottom and industrial rubbish in the middle, all in an effort to create public awareness of environmental protection and as a reflection on China’s rapid development.

Behind the plant, a series of design sketches by a number of students from Shenzhen Polytechnic are wired together.

“Kind design is environmentally friendly, practical and exquisite while vicious design is gimmicky and visual pollution. In the future, design will play a more important role in urban planning. Thus, designers should take more social responsibilities to create more kind designs,” said Kong.

Dates: Until Dec. 28

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Venue: Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, intersection of Jinhu Road and Yinhu Road, Futian District (福田区银湖路金湖路口深圳画院)

Buses: 4, 5, 7, 46, 69, 201