Wong Kar-wai, In the Mood for Love, feature film, 2000 (photographer: Wing Shya @ Shya-la-la Production, Courtesy of Tartan Films)
Well I finally made it to the China Design Now exhibition at the V&A and I have to say it was definitely worth a visit! The exhibition explores China’s hopes and dreams over the last two decades, from individual artists/designers to the nation as a whole. The exhibition hopes to bring contemporary China closer to you.
INTRODUCTION (FROM THE EXHIBITION PUBLICATION)
China is huge. China is topical. Yet China remains a mystery to most people in the west. ‘Made in China’ has become a familiar tag, but the spectacular creative energy in modern China is barely known. During the last twenty years, the Chinese have rediscovered their pre-socialist past and begun the combine their own traditions with global influences to produce a cultural rebirth. At the heart of this lies a new culture of design.
The exhibition will take you on a journey along China’s coastal cites to experience the country’s creative landscape. The journey starts in the far south, where graphic designers in shenzhen began to explore new directions in the early 1990s. Next we move up to Shanghai. Here consumerism and urban culture have combined to produce astonishing fashion and lifestyles. Finally, we travel to Beijing, where monumental architecture for the Olympic Games is transforming the skyline of this ancient capital.
Read more on the V&A web site…
MY REVIEW
There were certain things more than others that grabbed my attention in this exhibition, I especially enjoyed the Shenzhen and Shanghai sections of the exhibition as my interests lie in graphic design, fashion and lifestyle. However the Beijing Section would appeal to those interested in the monumental architecture and the city’s transforming landscape.
I was especially inspired by a Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love and a selection of photographs by Wing Shya shown below:
Pearls of the Orient by Wing Shya for Times Magazine:
Nice stuff you’ve got there, we’re fans of Wong Kar Wai and the poster of In The Mood For Love’s great.