With the advancement of technology, many product design and production tasks are now being done by machines, leading to the decline or even disappearance of many traditional crafts. Recently, Floaty Art and Craft held an exhibition called “Handmade with Heart”, inviting craftsmen from different fields in Hong Kong to showcase their works, allowing the audience to experience the variations and creative vitality of traditional crafts in today’s development.
This exhibition brings together 9 works created collaboratively by traditional craftsmen and contemporary craftsmen from Hong Kong, curated by the Creative Director of Piaoya Art and Creativity, Lu Yongqin. The exhibits are diverse, ranging from bamboo materials to rattan weaving, wood carving, and neon crafts.
Master Lu Ming, a master bamboo steamer maker, collaborated with contemporary craftsman Lin Jiayu to create this Buddha statue “Blessings” in the form of bamboo weaving and bamboo carving, symbolizing blessings, happiness, and peace. The 94-year-old Master Lu Ming and his apprentice worked together to create large, medium, and small bamboo steamers, which became the base of the Buddha. The details such as stone steps, handrails, and railings were made by Lin Jiayu using different bamboo materials. The work is accompanied by traditional bamboo root carving techniques, carving the Buddha’s head, hands, and feet on the bamboo roots, and then using purple bamboo to make the robe on the Buddha’s body, creating a complete Buddha.
This is a pair of mixed media sculptures titled “Smooth Sailing” created by master craftsmen Fu Tongshi, Liao Rongxiang, and contemporary artisans Lin Kunyou and Lin Fansheng, featuring Hong Kong sailboats as their form. Liao drew inspiration from fallen leaves of the taro plant by the river to create wax molds, showcasing the texture and form of the leaves. He then used lost wax casting to create two sets of “sail leaves” in colored glass and brass. Lin Kunyou and Lin Fansheng collaborated to respond to these “sail leaves” by crafting the boat bodies through woodworking and sculpture.
Lin Kunyou and Lin Fansheng also collaborated on the creation of the Chinese-style folding screen series “From the Past, to the Future”. The works are made from different types of local wood, combined with lacquer art and carving.
This work “Wandering – Time, Place, People” is co-created by contemporary craftsmen Li Runshi and Chen Yu. It is a rattan luggage made with a blue dye lining. The frame of the rattan suitcase is made of wooden strips, while the surface and handle are woven with rattan. The lining and compartments of the suitcase are made of fabric, with patterns created using the traditional version of the clip technique, based on the classic characteristic paper-stone pattern found in Hong Kong’s historical architecture.
This is “Bozi Chess” co-created by contemporary craftsmen KC and PAK, reinterpreting the traditional Chinese chess game with contemporary craftsmanship. The artwork compresses the design of the classic traditional chessboard, and the modern version of the chessboard elegantly integrates simple lines and beautiful geometric patterns, showcasing minimalist aesthetics.
The exhibition also brings the restored Rooster Sign from Chi Kee So Cheuk, collected by contemporary designer Guo Siheng and restored by Master Hu Zhikai.
The interactive art installation “In Search of Her in the Crowd” created by Guo Siheng, Wu Maowei, and Qiu Yingchen recreates the street scenes of Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s, when the streets were filled with neon signs. Visitors are required to use a blue flashlight to illuminate the installation, creating a nostalgic Hong Kong atmosphere.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the collaboration between traditional woodcarving master Xiao Bingqiang and contemporary craftsman Zhou Jianlong. They have created four handmade carved chairs and a sparrow table called “Leap and Gallop” using the mortise and tenon technique. What makes this piece special is that the table legs are modeled after horse hind legs, while the four chairs are supported by wooden strips carved into horse hind legs, each representing one of the Eight Horses.
Master Xiao adds more playfulness to the work by nailing wooden “horseshoes” under the legs of the stool, making the legs of the stool and the table more stable. In addition, eight pieces of rosewood boards are embedded in the four corners of the table, and each set of boards is a wooden carving artwork that tells the story of the transformation of Hong Kong from an old fishing port to a modern city, as well as the iconic landscapes of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
The exhibition also showcased a collaborative creation by master craftsman Zhang Chengzhong, illustrator Zhang Kaixin, and photographer Chen Shushi, a set of sparrows with local visual characteristics called “Sparrow Adventure: Hong Kong Edition”. These three artists from different fields present the delicate craftsmanship of sparrows through aesthetics, combining elements of carving, illustration, and photography to explore the versatility of traditional sparrow craftsmanship.
“Handmade with Love”
Date: February 18, 2023 to March 25, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Location: Piu Art Gallery, 11 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong
Learn more and source of images: Crafts on Peel
