Photo Essay: China’s 8th Int’l Fiber Art Biennale

January 17, 2015

Exhibition space in 1895 Creative Cultural Industry Park. Photos by Ursula Gerber Senger except as noted.

 2014’s 8th International Fiber Art Biennale Exhibition From Lausanne to Beijing was again held in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China from September 30 – October  30.

Begun in 2000, China’s Fiber Art Biennale is now 14 years old. It has become one of the largest textile art events in the world. It was hosted by Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, culture bureau of Tongxiang and Fiber Art Institute of China National Academy of Painting.

Huge, impressive exhibition space exterior with Nantong historical plaque detail.

186 works were selected for the exhibition from an entry pool of 655 works by 220 artists from 41 countries. 363 of those works were by Chinese makers; 292 came from other countries. Though originally an invitational, it is now a juried show. 12 jurors were led by “General Curator” artist Deng Lin, from China National Academy of Painting. 5 Chinese plus 6 international jurors included former SDA member Joan Schulze (USA), Nancy Kozikowski (USA) and Liz Williamson (AUS). Jurors’ work was shown in a separate hall. (SDA member (and former board member) Susan Taber Avila also had work in the show (see below). -Ed.)

Two shots of Wuzhen scenic area.

An 8th International Fiber Art Symposium preceded the exhibition opening on September 28-29, in the resort of Wuzhen in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province. It included presentations, papers and group discussions over the course of 3 days on the theme of “Inclusiveness and Integration.” Artists from Poland, Italy, USA, Australia, Korea, Switzerland, Austria and France (among many others) gave brief statements about textile arts zeitgeist in their countries. There was also a discussion about the starting point of the Silk Road. Highly professional translators for English and Chinese were provided.

L: Wuzhen symposium environment; R: Joan Schulze (USA) with Chinese interpreter

Beside the official events, it was possible to visit several local textile manufacturing shops. Chinese hospitality was great! It included the possibility for idea exchange between Chinese and visiting artists – often with the help of English-speaking student-interpreters.

Indigo dyeing & printing site visited during symposium. 

Selected works will be published in “From Lausanne to Beijing 8th International Fiber Art Biennial Catalogue” by China Arcitecture & Building Press. The catalogue had an expected publishing date of around mid-December, 2014. (No ordering information is available at present. Try checking official site for updates at www.chinafiberart.com – Ed.)

Below is a featured selection of works from this year’s exhibition:

Ai Jingwei; (China) “China Impressions of Wu Zhen” Calico (Silver Award)

Li Yanhong, Jiang Jie, Liu Sui (China) “China Friends” 700 x 600 cm Linen, wood fibre, cotton rope
(Award of Excellence)

L: Miho Katsuragawa (Japan) “The Night Soothes The Soul”  Silk. (Award of Excellence)
R: Qin Dali (China) “Abandon-Survive”  Materials unknown (Award of Excellence)

Miho Katsuragawa (Japan) “The Night Soothes The Soul”  with detail, right. Silk. (Award of Excellence)

Severija Incirauskaitê-Kriaunevicienê (Lithuania) “The Path of Rose” & “Morning Trio III” (Bronze Award)

Xie Yong (China) “Today We Share The Same Moonlight” 150 x 150 x 2 cm; Woolen felt, silk threads

Ursula Gerber Senger (Switzerland) “Reflections 1” 60 x 38 x 38 cm
Bronze, copper, stainless steel (black burnished)

Louise Lemieux Berube (Canada) “The Run”  149 x 216 cm Tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, wool
(Award of Excellence)

Zeng Lisi (China) “Haze – Floating” 300 x 100 x 180 cm; Flax, cotton, silk

Tetsuo Kusama (Japan) “Flow” 365 x 315 x 15 cm; Rayon, plastic (Silver Award)

Liang Xuefang (China) “If You Blossom 2” Suzhou embroidery; Silk (Gold Award)

Raija Jokinen (Finland) “A Devil” 95 x 68 cm Flax yarns

Lee Sang Wook (USA) “Ju Money” 280 x 228 x 228 cm Silk fabric, angora hair, cotton yarn

Juror’s Show: (L): Monique Chmielewska Lehman (Poland) “Supernova – The Birth of the Stars” Embroidery
(R): Nancy Kozikowski (USA) “Zhu-Qie” “Guard” & “Deer”

Kubota Shigeo (Japan) (Juror) “Echo of The Wind” 150 x 470 cm; Sisal, ramie

Huang Zhu + Li Jingling (China) “Umbrella” (installation shot plus detail on right)

Pang Bo (China) Infinity 130 x 70 x 3 cm  Paper cords, golden wires

Wang Man + Xi Xiuliang (China) “Magic Reflection” 170 x 40 x 120 cm; Cotton

Wang Yanmei (China) “Instant” 125 x 85 cm; Organdy, cotton threads

Wu Qinglin (China) “Affinity and Harmony” 285 x 18 x 5 cm; Cotton cloth, batik (Award of Excellence)

Bashit Makhoul (UK) “Points of View” 180 x 300 cm; Nylon

Susan Taber Avila (USA) “Butterfly Garden” 225 x 366 x 3 cm; Thread, recycled & repurposed material

(L): Stef Kreymborg (Netherlands) “Wailing Wall of Lonely Socks” 250 x 700 x 10 cm; Textiles, socks
(R): Carol Westfall (USA) “Gulf Blues 5” 69 x 78 cm; Cotton, yarns, oil pastel

Gallery shots of more work from the exhibition, plus other images and videos from the proceedings, are available on official website (in Chinese).

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Ursula Gerber Senger (born in Zurich, Switzerland) started designing textiles in Venezuela in 1981 then shifted to creating sculptural objects in 1992.

Since 2006, she has reduced the variety of materials she uses and put a new focus on “people traveling” and using new media. Her prize-winning work has been shown in numerous international exhibitions, museums, publications and private collections at home and abroad. This is her 4th Fiber Art Biennale in China and the 2nd time she’s traveled there to attend the symposium and exhibition.

She is a member of European Textile Network (ETN) , Surface Design Association (SDA) and an Honorable Member in World Textil Art (WTA).

Visit her website at www.ursula-gerber.ch

Visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Ursula-Gerber-Senger