Themed “Being Theoria”, the 4th Hangzhou Fiber Art Triennial kicked off on October 18, 2022 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The special project “Jinying | Pure Reason” of the Triennial opened on September 30 at the Hangzhou Museum.
The theme of this fourth Triennial is “Being Theoria”, which is the continuation of the first show “Fiber Visions” in 2013, the second show “Weave & We” in 2016, and the third show “Boundless Encounters” in 2019. Just like the words “text” and “textile” in English are both derived from the Latin word “textus”, the Chinese expression for fiber contains two Chinese characters, which both shares the same Chinese radical. The curatorial team draws on this radical system of Chinese characters, builds on an archetypal approach, and seeks to propose a multidimensional and interwoven return to and reflection on the meta-questions and meta-concepts of “art” in order to zero in on the metaphysical dimension of fiber/fabric and the invisible link between art and the world. At its heart, this curatorial approach suggests rebranding “art” as “being theoria”, which alludes to the simultaneous presence of being and non-being.
Exhibition director Ying Jinfei and artistic director Shi Hui, along with chief curator Liu Tian, co-curators Liu Yihong, Ying Xinxun, Long Xingru, Wang Hongzhe, and more than 60 artists/groups from over ten countries around the world, opened the fourth exhibition on “fiber” and “art” in Hangzhou, China, in response to the complex global situation in the second decade of the 21st century. The artists/groups include Ann Hamilton (USA), Annette Messager (France), Constanza Piña (Chile), Raqs Media Collective (India), Nathalie Gebert (Germany), Aiko Tezuka (Japan/Germany), Alice Kettle (UK), Zilvinas Kempinas (Lithuania/USA), Ivana Franke (Croatia/Germany), Ho Rui An (Singapore), Chen Chieh-jen (Taiwan, China), Chen Zhe, Guo Cheng, Huang Yan, Liao Fei, Liu Guoqiang, Nabuqi, Tong Wenmin, Zhao Yao, Zheng Bo, etc.
Outside of the Hangzhou Museum, where the stone pagoda of Jingyin Temple stood during the Five Dynasties and Northern Song Dynasty, the “Jingyin | Pure Reason” project is slated to be presented. Artists are invited to create directly on-site at the Wushan Mountain (Liangdao Mountain) in the heart of Hangzhou, in the outdoor space within the bounds of the Hangzhou Museum (around the remains of the stone pagoda of Jingyin Temple), and in the public space within the museum. The goal of this project is to surprise and delight the public as the project evolves, thereby stimulating local memory through creative imagination and innovative art.
Throughout the duration of the exhibition, the curators, participating artists, researchers, and world-famous thinkers (Tim Ingold, Zhang Wenjiang, Lothar Ledderose, Zhao Feng, John Durham Peters, Lisa Parks, Wu Yaling, etc) will gather for a series of lectures and forums titled “Fiber, Worldview”, “Everything · Fiber and Karma, “Fiber-like Perception”, “Weaving that Web”, “Technology · Revolution · Ballads”, and “The Story of Knotting the Rope”, among others, aiming at exploring the esoteric mysteries of civilization.
Public Education Program
On the eve of International Women’s Day and Arbor Day in 2022, artist Alice Kettle started the public project “Stitch a Tree” which quickly proved popular. All audience members around the world were invited and encouraged to stitch a “tree” with thread. The stitched trees by citizens in Hangzhou will be joined with other stitched trees by people around the world at the Triennial, where they will be arranged into a large tapestry called Forest. There will also be public projects and activities during the Triennial, such as “One-ton Reservoir”, ” Plant-based Goods Un&On”, “Growing House” and so on.
Hangzhou International Triennial of Fiber Art
Founded in 2013, the Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art is an international exhibition dedicated to the research, creation, and display of contemporary fiber art. The Triennial was founded by the Contemporary Fiber Art Research Institute (formerly the Institute of Art Tapestry Varbanov) of the China Academy of Art, and co-founded and co-sponsored by the China Academy of Art and Zhejiang Art Museum. Previous exhibition themes are ” Weaving & We” (2016), ” Boundless Encounters” (2019), and ” Being Theoria” (2022).
SOURCE: China Academy of Art
