Review of Body Alchemy, the Hangzhou Contemporary International Jewelry and Metal Art Triennale

The exhibition focusses on the artistic concept of jewelry and metal art, new materials, the relation and dialogue between body and space. It discusses the evolution of contemporary jewelry and metal art from alchemy to casting body, from material aesthetics to conceptual art and from space shaping to body language.

Exhibition view

The people who attended the exhibition opening, leaders and guests such as Xu Jiang (President of the China Academy of art), Ma Fenghui ( Zhejiang Province Federation vice chairman), Liu Zheng (Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, Deputy party secretary of China Academy of Art) and some other domestic jewelry artist representatives. The Opening Ceremony was hosted by Zhou Wu (director of the Art college of handcrafts). Xu Jiang, Zhou Wu, Ruudt Peters (the curator of this exhibition ) and Wang Zhenghong (head of Jewelry department in college of handcrafts of China Academy of Art) which made speeches in the ceremony.

Opening ceremony
 
Xu Jiang, President of The China Academy of Art, said: “our school's jewelry professional team is a young team. They need to seize this opportunity to learn from the outstanding artists, shaping the East's jewelry body". There are a lot of  exhibitions held by college of handcrafts, so that the teachers are very hardworking but also very excited. I on behalf of the school to teachers, said a deep respect. Oriental life nurtured crafts, handmade art will be used to create this piece of land back to life and growth in nature.

Opening ceremony

Renowned educators, artists and academicians from 17 countries and territories are invited to the exhibition. The triennal is hosted by China Academy of Art. About 40 higher educational institutions and famous Academies from Asia, Europe and Africa are involved. It will be a worldwide major academic event.

Exhibition view

Exhibition view

The Seminar held on 8th and 9th on the theme of Body Alchemy. The seminar was hold by Gao Shiming (vice-president of China Academy of Art) and Liesbeth den Besten (chairwoman),  Stichting Françoise van den Bosch (Independent art historian, jewellery writer, lecturer and curator Amstelveen NL). The Nine educators and two theorists who are specially invited to make speeches on the seminar. For example, Christoph Zellweger, Professor of Art & Design, Art & Design Research Centre Sheffield Hallam University UK had a speech of the topic: “OF CARATS AND CALORIES” an artistic exploration about bodies, rituals and norms. Ruudt Peters hel a Speech:  “2 mm2” showing his main works and concepts during the last forty years. Liesbeth den Bestens topic of the Speech was: “Merging Bodies”  narrated the development of  contemporary art jewelry from 20th century. Wang Zhenghong talked about her study about Chinese traditional painting and philosophy as the theme of “Body as landscape”.

Lecture of Guest artists

 Guest artists from different countries and different art backgrounds, have their own understanding of the theme  "body alchemy”, as well as they have their own interpretation of art jewelry and the creation of the metaphorical meaning and different artistic language expression. Through the fundamental thinking and interpretation of jewelry art in the international and domestic different areas, the artists learn how to face and eliminate the boundaries between arts and crafts by exploring the jewelry art in the new technology era. At the same time, through the discussion on the seminar, the communication and transforming of the art history, post-modern art theory, sociology, anthropology and art jewelry are much more stronger and deeper.

Lecture of Guest artists