Fashion X Fusion = Three Contemporary Chinese Artists in Beijing

Finally, we are back in Beijing and, despite gloomy skies this week, it is GOOD to be home!

Today I am bemused, inspired and moved by three Chinese artists who transform traditional Chinese clothing through their own contemporary visions.

I saw the ethereal works of Chen Qing Qing (陈庆庆) in 2005 in the 798 Art District. She first trained in Chinese Traditional Medicine, and later, while a white collar worker, was inspired by the new artists emerging in China to begin her own odyssey. Her works combine grasses, dried flowers and sometimes seeds or pearls to form a perfect, airy piece of traditional Chinese clothing for view. One of her pieces is currently on display at the Opposite House, a funky modernist hotel in Sanlitun. (Address: 北京市朝阳区朝阳区三里屯路。 Tel. #: +86 10-64176688. Website: www.theoppositehouse.com)

Wang Lei (王雷)is a young artist whose solo exhibition at the Found Museum I stumbled upon this past weekend while riding my bike past the D/No. 1 Art Base in Hegezhuang Village (中国北京市朝阳区崔各庄乡何各庄村一号地艺术园/D区). Developed in the fall of 2007, this area houses a number of galleries building upon a collaboration of critics, curators, and dealers trying to bring together eastern and western art communities. Have lunch or dinner nearby at the excellent Orchard Restaurant, or take a glance at the nearby YingYang Center and its many classes and offerings.

At the Found Museum in the D/No. 1, Wang Lei blew my mind (and my gender expectations) with his painstakingly crafted imperial robes knitted from “yarn” meticulously formed from thin cuttings of book paper, twined and softened and “rolled” into skeins. Look at the museum website at http://www.foundmuseum.com/?p=754 to view more of his amazing works and to get directions to the D/No. 1 Art Base.

And then there’s Li Xiao Feng (李晓峰) whose “shard” costumes delight my senses. Riffing on traditional methods of making armor, he creates clothing from porcelain fragments from the Ming, Qing and Song dynasties. And they are even wearable!! The Arrested Motion blog has a great series of pictures showing the models wearing various pieces; see http://arrestedmotion.com/2009/06/art-focus-li-xiaofeng/. In Beijing, you can also see his works at the Opposite House (along with Chen Qing Qing’s) and occasionally at the Red Gate Gallery (Address: Dongbianmen Watchtower, Chongwenmen, 崇文门东便门角楼, Tel. 6525-1005, website: www.redgategallery.com).

The Red Gate Gallery is worth a visit just for its outstanding location alone! This gallery, established in 1991, is housed in one of Beijing’s few remaining arrow towers on the old city wall. Inside, in addition to gallery exhibits, is a small but good museum filled with old photographs and artifacts documenting Beijing’s ancient city wall. Next to the tower is a park following the remaining extant section of the city wall. If you walk west from the tower, you’ll eventually be south of Qianmen and Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City north of them.

Earth (the natural fibers of Chen Qing Qing), Earth & Fire (the porcelain fragments of Li Xiao Feng) and Earth & Water (the paper "yarn" of Wang Lei), all transmuted into new forms of Chinese traditional fashion. Truly, a remarkable alchemy.