Nude Jade Pierced by Hansel Tai
Exhibition
/
30 Jul 2022
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10 Aug 2022
Published: 05.08.2022
126.com
“Nude Jade Pierced” means to punch a hole through a piece of polished and complete jade with ready-made medical-grade stainless-steel piercings. Such action is contrary to the conventional paradigms and aesthetic pursuits of traditional jade carving, and may even be considered a “wrong” processing method, because it puts the jade at risk of being shattered at any moment. People’s long-held imaginations about jade, such as preciousness, warmness, and perfectness, will be challenged or even completely subverted.
中文版 - Chinese version 
Artist list
Hansel Tai
The foreword of the exhibition
It was not until the two large parcels sent from the Baltic city of Tallinn arrived at The Closer Gallery in Beijing that we were finally sure our long-awaited exhibition would open as scheduled. With all the uncertainty that the pandemic brings, it can be a challenge for an invited artist living abroad to hold an exhibition in China. During the whole process of working with Hansel Tai, I was deeply impressed by his professionalism and execution capability. This young contemporary jewelry artist quickly earned my respect.
The jewelry pieces in this exhibition demonstrate the evolution of Hansel Tai’s series of work “Nude Jade Pierced” created from 2018 to 2022, which consists of three volumes: Nude Jade Pierced; Nude Jade Pierced (NJP) Vol.2 - Nude Cuboid; Nude Jade Pierced (NJP) Vol.3 - Brutal States.
As the title implies, “Nude Jade Pierced” means to punch a hole through a piece of polished and complete jade with ready-made medical-grade stainless-steel piercings. Such action is contrary to the conventional paradigms and aesthetic pursuits of traditional jade carving, and may even be considered a “wrong” processing method, because it puts the jade at risk of being shattered at any moment. People’s long-held imaginations about jade, such as preciousness, warmness, and perfectness, will be challenged or even completely subverted. “Piercing” for jade seems to be a dialogue with a piece of jade in the coldest way. But when I used the word “dialogue”, I suddenly realized that I had regarded the stone as human in my mind. The visual stimuli presented by this series of works brought me pain, as if what is being pierced and penetrated is not jade but flesh and bone. The jade in front of me is no longer just a beautiful, uninterrupted stone, but has been given a new definition and a new potential.
/ Xiao Liang
Opening day: 30th July, 2022. 15.00h.
Opening times: 30th July - 10th August, 2022. 13-19.00h
It was not until the two large parcels sent from the Baltic city of Tallinn arrived at The Closer Gallery in Beijing that we were finally sure our long-awaited exhibition would open as scheduled. With all the uncertainty that the pandemic brings, it can be a challenge for an invited artist living abroad to hold an exhibition in China. During the whole process of working with Hansel Tai, I was deeply impressed by his professionalism and execution capability. This young contemporary jewelry artist quickly earned my respect.
The jewelry pieces in this exhibition demonstrate the evolution of Hansel Tai’s series of work “Nude Jade Pierced” created from 2018 to 2022, which consists of three volumes: Nude Jade Pierced; Nude Jade Pierced (NJP) Vol.2 - Nude Cuboid; Nude Jade Pierced (NJP) Vol.3 - Brutal States.
As the title implies, “Nude Jade Pierced” means to punch a hole through a piece of polished and complete jade with ready-made medical-grade stainless-steel piercings. Such action is contrary to the conventional paradigms and aesthetic pursuits of traditional jade carving, and may even be considered a “wrong” processing method, because it puts the jade at risk of being shattered at any moment. People’s long-held imaginations about jade, such as preciousness, warmness, and perfectness, will be challenged or even completely subverted. “Piercing” for jade seems to be a dialogue with a piece of jade in the coldest way. But when I used the word “dialogue”, I suddenly realized that I had regarded the stone as human in my mind. The visual stimuli presented by this series of works brought me pain, as if what is being pierced and penetrated is not jade but flesh and bone. The jade in front of me is no longer just a beautiful, uninterrupted stone, but has been given a new definition and a new potential.
/ Xiao Liang
Opening day: 30th July, 2022. 15.00h.
Opening times: 30th July - 10th August, 2022. 13-19.00h
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