Heavenly Hands: Contemporary Revival of Traditional Craftsmanship
Theme
Heavenly Hands: Contemporary Revival of Traditional Craftsmanship
Exhibition Date
September 27- November 20, 2019
Exhibition Venue
Temporary Exhibition Hall on the 3rd Floor
From September 27 to November 20, 2019, the exhibition “Wonderful Craftsmanship–Exhibition of Traditional Handicrafts with Modern Expression” was held in Chengdu Museum. This exhibition was one of the special joint exhibitions of the 7th International Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Chengdu, China. It brought together 16 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) inheritors and 10 young artists. Through a total of nearly 100 exquisite works in 16 categories, it sorted out the formation of traditional crafts, explored their roles in connecting the past and the future, and inspired the audience to think about the present being and future trends of traditional culture. The exhibits in this exhibition included not only Shu embroidery, Shu brocade, filamentary silver hovering arts of Chengdu, bamboo over porcelain and Chengdu lacquer art, but also master works of ICH items such as Tibetan forged mental manufacturing process, Yi People’s silver jewelry forging skills, Qiang embroidery, and Luzhou Fenshui oil-paper umbrella. At the same time, many modern works of young designers were on display. These young artists combine tradition with fashion and actively participate in the protection and innovation of traditional workmanship. This exhibition was not only a simple presentation of works, but also an attempt to interpret the life and stories of these masters behind the traditional craftsmanship in various ways. The exhibition displayed artworks through the stories of some people and touched the audience with artworks. In addition, through the comparison between tradition and modern times and the juxtaposition of works and characters, the exhibition showed how traditional aesthetics establishes the present life aesthetics with Chinese style.