New York, NY – On March 8th, International Women’s Day, the VillageOneArt Gallery in Chelsea, New York successfully held an opening reception for the group exhibition “In The Mood For Love.” The exhibition features works by 44 Chinese female artists spanning from the Song dynasty to the present day, including photography, painting, mixed media, and works on paper, showcasing their powerful visual construction abilities. The opening reception was attended by hundreds of art collectors, celebrities, and art enthusiasts from around the world, witnessing the unique charm of women’s art.
Curated by Christy Qin and Sally Wu, this ambitious group exhibition pairs the masterful expertise and technical proficiency of women artists past and present across the Chinese diasporas, featuring artists working in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, Australia, Germany, and other locales. These works carry different cultural contexts and demonstrate their exquisite professional skills and rich creative experiences.
Many artists featured in the exhibition choose to delve into portraiture and identity, such as the works of artists Ellie Ng, Amy Liu, Pixy Liao, WenHao Cai, and Annysa Ng. For example, artist Min Luo combines traditional Chinese painting techniques with Western realism to present the quiet beauty of daily life through the elegant theme of flowers. While others push the boundaries of abstraction, such as found in the practice of artists Emily Cheng, Yan Lin, Yanzi Zhang, Xin Song and Kelly Wang. While abstraction may seem at odds with centuries of representation, landscape forward scenic painting in China which has influenced Asian arts as a region, there are no restrictions on the daring steps that these women artists take when innovating within painting as a genre, in both abstract and representational painting.
In addition, Text-based works such as those created by Fei Cui, Charlotte Wu, and Shuwen Cao form a powerful contrast to historical paintings integrating figuration and text, such as works on view by Song dynasty Empress Meizi Yang.
This group exhibition has received widespread attention before its opening, and the art journalist Richard Vine from Art In America publication arrived at the scene before the opening to have an in-depth conversation with the curators about the works. Artist Guoqiang Cai and his wife Honghong Wu also visited the gallery before the opening to support their daughter Wenhao Cai’s exhibited works.
At the opening reception, many well-known collectors, critics, and art enthusiasts from the art field came to admire the paintings. Collector of Chinese calligraphy and painting, Mr. Tang, who lent rare master work of Meizi Yang and Yuan Ma’s works. Other guests include art connoisseur Chiu Lem; art collector and philanthropist Carolyn Hsu-Balcer; opera singer and art collector Fantao Jiang; Dennis Yueh-yeh Li, the director of the performance of MOCA Museum; professional curators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum and other industry celebrities gathered together to express their appreciation of the exhibited artworks.
Furthermore, Larry Warsh, who has a vast collection of the important contemporary artists such as Xiaogang Zhang, Fanzhi Zeng, Weiwei Ai, etc., has a particular fondness for several young artists and expresses his heartfelt admiration for the innovative spirit and bold creative ideas presented in their works. Christopher Phillips, curator of the International Center of Photography, highly appreciates this group exhibition and hopes that VillageOneArt will organize more exciting exhibitions in the future.
Many celebrities from various fields also attended the opening reception, including Bob McCooey, Vice Chairman of NASDAQ, fashion designer Vivienne Tam, American TV host lengend Kaity Tong； Zhouyang Liang, the great-granddaughter of Huiyin Lin and Sicheng Liang and co-founder of the Liang Capital Partners, lawyer Henry Liu, real estate investor James He, and Robert Chen, among others, adding more attention and influence to the exhibition.
Gallerists and art advisors Sarina Tang, Ying Zhou, Inna Xu, Michelle Loh, and others who participated in the opening ceremony expressed that this exhibition showcases the extraordinary role that female artists play on the global art stage, and encouraging all to promote and appreciate to Chinese art. Many artists also come to support at the opening ceremony, including renowned artists Hongtu Zhang and his wife, Kelly Wang, Emily Cheng, Wei Jia, Xiangdong Shi, and artist Zelene Jiang Schlosberg, who specially came from Chicago. It is worth mentioning that German artist Hastoya, who was unable to attend, also entrusted a friend to broadcast the exhibition live on-site, highlighting the significance of the exhibition.
Gallery founders Vivienne and Christy stated that this group exhibition aims to give voice to female artists and show that the identity and voice of Chinese female artists can always be defined freely. Whether engaging in a dialogue with the painting tradition of their predecessors or venturing into unknown territories in the context of contemporary art, they demonstrate a brave and fearless spirit of exploration in the field of art.
This exhibition will continue until April 1st, and art enthusiasts are invited to come and appreciate these exquisite and story-filled female art pieces.
Exhibition Dates
March 2 – April 1, 2023
Opening Reception
March 8, 2023, 18:00 – 21:00
Venue
Village One Art
150 W 25th #403,
New York, NY 10001
Contact
For more information, please visit:
About Gallery
VillageOneArt Gallery, established in 2018, is located in Chelsea, New York City. It was founded by Vivienne Yang, a former well-known host of Phoenix Satellite Television, and curator Christy Qin. VillageOneArt is an art space that promotes diversity and creativity, highlighting individuality, imagination, and artistic expression.
Since its inception, VillageOneArt has been committed to discovering the most promising contemporary artists from around the world, actively serving as a bridge and link between artists and the public, and planning multiple art projects that reflect the spirit of the times. As an important part of cultural dialogue, contemporary art provides a unique perspective for the public to view the current era and society, and VillageOneArt firmly believes in this. By showcasing a rich variety of contemporary artistic expressions, it sparks public reflection and resonance about the current era we are in.
(text & photo courtesy of VillageOneArt Gallery)
