In the 1990s contemporary art in China as we know it was finally born, emerging from the underground after decades of Maoist stricture, the dreary official dominance of socialist-realism, the constant interference of self-appointed cultural commissars and nosy prurient coppers. And one factor that contributed to that birth was the 1993 exhibitions in Shanghai and Beijing by Gilbert & George. China had never seen the like and a generation of young artists suddenly saw new vistas of possibility….
I’ve blogged previously about the detail and beauty of many East Asian photo albums sold to travellers in ports such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama (see here and here). Usually it’s the covers that are the attraction – chinoiserie lacquered albums, silk covers, often with embroidery of local scenes (rickshaws seem to be particularly popular).
But this (I think Japanese and bought in Yokohama) lacquered album seems particularly ornate and features internal pages of chinoiserie designs over which the photos/postcards can be affixed. Quite charming…
Art in Hong Kong is a fascinating analysis of the history, current status and possible future of Hong Kong as an international art hub, written by a local journalist who has reported on the city’s cultural landscape for many years. Enid Tsui presents a balanced and insightful picture of recent changes in the city which was once the poster-child of artistic freedom in Asia as well as the undisputed leader of the region’s booming contemporary-art market. Some of Hong Kong’s traditional advantages now look precarious following new laws imposed by China curbing freedom of expression and the city’s long period of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet despite the exodus of talent from Hong Kong and growing uncertainties over the ‘red lines’ of censorship, there are more world-class art institutions in the city than ever before and the market has proved resilient, with international auction houses and galleries continuing to expand their presence there.
This book lifts the lid on a diverse art scene in a city of fascinating contradictions: a former British colony where artists have long been inspired by the interplay between east and west, and where the new M+ museum and other venues have to tread a tightrope between celebrating a distinct and vibrant culture based on different influences and abiding by the new national security regime.
Wallis arrived in Shanghai in late 1924 as the Second Zhili–Fengtian War raged close by. She dined, garden partied, went to the races and shopped but she could not have failed to notice the precautions taken in the International Settlement, not least by the Americans… here US sailors search cars entering the Settlement; the US Company of the Shanghai Volunteers guards the borders of the Settlement; US, as well as Royal Navy and French Navy ships line the Huangpu River; US sailors on guard in Shanghai…
How inspired was Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by her year in China? Well just consider these two images of her from the later 1930s – a decade after her China sojourn and still regularly wearing qipao/cheongsam-inspired dresses (even if designed by Mainbocher!)… Sketch by Cecil Beaton, 1937; sorry, not sure who took the pic, but such full length portraits of Wallis are relatively rare)….
New edition of Jeffrey Wasserstrom’s Vigil on Hong Kong with additional materials from Amy Hawkins & Kris Cheng – from Brixton Ink – joins this week must read pile….
On spring weekends in the Western Hills around Peking Wallis would wander and see those temples still in use, such as the Black Dragon Temple, here with monks celebrating the Devil Dance and westing masks/costumes to chase out evil spirits; a ritual that took place every spring and here photographed in the 1920s by JT McGarvey for National Geographic
Next Thursday i’ll be at the great Books on the Rise in Richmond with Anne Sebba talking Wallis Simpson & her adventures in 1920s China, the gossip & scandal but also the truth behind her time in HK, Shanghai & Beijing….and its influence on her style…
