Third Stop: China Institute in America
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
