The China Institute in America was established in 1966 and is the very first nonprofit gallery to show Chinese art. When I visited the gallery the exhibits were centered on porcelain works. The porcelain art was created in Jingdezhen, the northeastern region of Jiangxi province. Personally, I thought they were all very beautiful, especially the porcelain panels; the collection was created by Chen Haibo. Which one is your favorite?
Another piece I thought was interesting was the twin porcelain vases. One is of a bird and the other is of a flower. It is a pair of twin white porcelain vases with a cobalt blue underglaze. There is also a pair of wild geese on the vases. Here, check it out!
The most amazing piece of the exhibit is the porcelain statue of the lady called Ah Xian, Bust 65. It consists of the bust and the torso of a woman and her entire body is of a landscape. There is the sky, trees, mountains, rivers and a house. The face of the statue has its eyes closed, looking very serene. There is another porcelain lady statue next to it called Ah Xian, Bust 35. While the figure of the statues are exactly the same, the landscape on both are different. On bust 35, it is in cobalt blue and the landscape is mainly flora and fauna. It, in my opinion, is less impressive as the colorful Bust 65. Check it out !
Zen is another piece at the exhibit. It consists of five figures holding their hands at a traditional Buddhist meditation pose. All five of them are Buddhist monks and they are supposed to symbolize the inner strength and zen-like mood of meditation. Each figure is holding something different in their hands; which I believe resembles a staff. In my opinion, I feel like the monks are preparing to purify evil rather than meditate. They all look so staunch and ready for battle. How do you all feel about it?
China Institute in America is located on
125 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
(212) 744-8181
The MOCA Museum is located in Manhattan close to the Chinatown area. The museum shows China’s culture and situation over a span of time; from the age of imperialism to the times of China in WW2.
The Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre Street New York, NY 10013
(212) 619-4785
December 3rd,2012
Cultural |
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The Asia Society Museum located on 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021. It offers both traditional or contemporary art depending on the current exhibit. When I went, I saw the Lin Tianmiao exhibit. Lin Tianmiao is a Chinese artist. Many of her works are based off her time in China and her thoughts and feelings of China’s government and policies. Without further ado, let’s go in!
One of the works, “All the Same” showed the shape of human bones wrapped in colorful thread. It was definitely a very different way of looking at the human body. At first I was more interested with the rainbow colors of thread lying on the floor that I completely disregarded the bones on top. I believe the tour guide said the reason Lin Tianmiao chose colorful thread was to make it look happier. Happy human bones? Interesting.
Another work that I have a strong impression of was “Chatting.” It showed sculptures of women, all with deformed bodies. An audio clip plays a variety of languages to create an image of them all talking. Occasionally, the audio clip plays laughter and it echoes throughout the room. It definitely creeped me out at first. I think later I read that it was a political statement Lin Tianmiao was trying to make about China. China’s government restricts the thoughts of its citizens. This was probably a reason why Lin Tianmiao left China for America.
This trip to Asia Society Museum was highly entertaining. I was surprised with how Lin Tianmiao incorporated human bodies with her art. It was definitely a new, refreshing way of looking at art. This goes to show how different situations can incite emotions, which, in turn, create new forms art. This was a fun and educational experience.
The Asia Society Museum is located on
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 288-6400
