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

04_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-NantongExhibition 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.

05_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong exhibition areaHuge, 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.)

02_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Wuzhen scenicTwo 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.

01_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Wuzhen-SymposiumL: 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.

03_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Wuzhen indigoIndigo 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:

06_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Ai-JingweiAi Jingwei; (China) “China Impressions of Wu Zhen” Calico (Silver Award)

07_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Li-Yanhong-JiangLi Yanhong, Jiang Jie, Liu Sui (China) “China Friends” 700 x 600 cm Linen, wood fibre, cotton rope
(Award of Excellence)

08_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Miho-KatsuragawaL: Miho Katsuragawa (Japan) “The Night Soothes The Soul”  Silk. (Award of Excellence)
R: Qin Dali (China) “Abandon-Survive”  Materials unknown (Award of Excellence)

09_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Miho-KatsuragawaMiho Katsuragawa (Japan) “The Night Soothes The Soul”  with detail, right. Silk. (Award of Excellence)

10_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-_Severija-Incirauskaité-RiaunevicienéSeverija Incirauskaitê-Kriaunevicienê (Lithuania) “The Path of Rose” & “Morning Trio III” (Bronze Award)

11_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Xie-YongXie Yong (China) “Today We Share The Same Moonlight” 150 x 150 x 2 cm; Woolen felt, silk threads

12_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Ursula-Gerber-SengerUrsula Gerber Senger (Switzerland) “Reflections 1” 60 x 38 x 38 cm
Bronze, copper, stainless steel (black burnished)

13_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-LouiseLouise Lemieux Berube (Canada) “The Run”  149 x 216 cm Tencel, stainless steel, copper, linen, wool
(Award of Excellence)

14_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Zeng-LisiZeng Lisi (China) “Haze – Floating” 300 x 100 x 180 cm; Flax, cotton, silk

15_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Tetsuo-Kusama-02-mTetsuo Kusama (Japan) “Flow” 365 x 315 x 15 cm; Rayon, plastic (Silver Award)

16_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Liang-XuefangLiang Xuefang (China) “If You Blossom 2” Suzhou embroidery; Silk (Gold Award)

18_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Raija-JokinenRaija Jokinen (Finland) “A Devil” 95 x 68 cm Flax yarns

20_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Lee-sang-WokLee Sang Wook (USA) “Ju Money” 280 x 228 x 228 cm Silk fabric, angora hair, cotton yarn

21_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Monique-Chmielewska-Lehman-and-Nancy-KozikowskiJuror’s Show: (L): Monique Chmielewska Lehman (Poland) “Supernova – The Birth of the Stars” Embroidery
(R): Nancy Kozikowski (USA) “Zhu-Qie” “Guard” & “Deer”

22_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Kubota-ShigeoKubota Shigeo (Japan) (Juror) “Echo of The Wind” 150 x 470 cm; Sisal, ramie

23_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong-Huang-Zhu+Li-JingjingHuang Zhu + Li Jingling (China) “Umbrella” (installation shot plus detail on right)

24_Ursula-Gerber-Senger_Nantong_Pang-boPang Bo (China) Infinity 130 x 70 x 3 cm  Paper cords, golden wires

25_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Wang-Man+Xi-XiuliangWang Man + Xi Xiuliang (China) “Magic Reflection” 170 x 40 x 120 cm; Cotton

26_Ursula-Gerber-Senger-Nantong_Wang-YanmeiWang Yanmei (China) “Instant” 125 x 85 cm; Organdy, cotton threads

27_Ursula-Gerber-Senger_Nantong_Wu-QinglinWu Qinglin (China) “Affinity and Harmony” 285 x 18 x 5 cm; Cotton cloth, batik (Award of Excellence)

28_Ursula-Gerber-Senger_Nantong_Basht-MakulBashit Makhoul (UK) “Points of View” 180 x 300 cm; Nylon

29_Ursula-Gerber-Senger_Nantong_Susan-Taber-AvilarSusan Taber Avila (USA) “Butterfly Garden” 225 x 366 x 3 cm; Thread, recycled & repurposed material

30_Ursula-Gerber-Senger_Nantong_Stef_and_Carol(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).

________________________________________
31_Ursula-Gerber-SengerUrsula 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

8 Comments

  • Christina Kelesidou says

    January 20, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    BEAUTIFUL! I WISH I WAS THERE!

  • Joan says

    January 22, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    Ursula, This is a fine article. Your photos really tell the story. You show the scale of the exhibition space along with the exceptional fiber art. Brava!

  • Lily van Ryswick says

    January 22, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    Just fabulous.......wish I could be there too!

  • Katriina Flensburg says

    January 26, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    Beautiful... Thank you! - Keep up the good work!

  • Beth Giudice says

    January 26, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    Just wonderful! Great inspiration

  • BJ Adams says

    January 28, 2015 at 11:45 am

    Worthwhile going back to see/read it again. Wish there were more details. A wonderful exhibit.

  • Nancy kozikowski says

    February 20, 2015 at 10:14 am

    Ursula, These are outstanding pictures. Thank you for this beautiful presentation.

  • Marjorie Fedyszyn says

    February 22, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    Thank you for sharing the beautiful images.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.