HOME ALONE
For her latest Spring and Summer Collection, independent Chinese designer Zhao Hanyu chose to go with a more relaxed theme.
At her Veeco Zhao 2019 show on Thursday at Beijing’s Ginkgo Space, models were turned into fairies dressed to the nines in lacy clothing.
According to the designer, the collection represents her hopes to get back to the basics and build a sense of belonging among young women. Zhao recalled that inspiration struck while enjoying a relaxing bath at home, an experience which reminded her of the leisurely way many women spend their time while alone at home.
The designer made some bold moves when it came to color as the collection contains everything from pink layered dresses to black lace miniskirts.
After working for the Yiqing Yin Studio in Paris and renowned designer Jean Paul Gaultier for a while, in 2014 Zhao established her own Veeco Zhao brand, which focuses on the idea of “elegant but cool” and an active life attitude among young women.
In addition to the fashion show, the designer also set up an area to showcase the inner world of young women through installation works such as a giant white pillow.
Artist gives Chinese traditional paper-cutting a modern flair
Picking up a small piece of red paper from a basket of scraps, Zhao Xigang works back and forth with his scissors for a few minutes until the image of a goshawk perching on a pine tree emerges.
Most of Zhao’s work is inspired by whatever material he has on hand.
“Improvisation is the most vital part of the art of paper-cutting,” says Zhao, 53, a professor of design science at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. He is known for his somewhat avant-garde paper-cutting works.
Paper-cutting is normally considered a traditional folk art, but Zhao says his is “a new kind of paper-cutting, a literate paper-cutting.”
“My work not only plays off an inheritance of traditional paper-cutting forms, it is a more Chinese expression of international art forms.”
Small animals and fruits appear under his scissors, completed with a single cut. Animals live in a white world and pine branches are bent by thick snow. It’s a combination of fairy tale and natural worlds of beauty that are neither real nor unreal.
In Zhao’s world, humanity, society and nature are in a harmonious symbiotic relationship.
“It’s beautiful to see the way they appreciate each other,” he says.
In his works, roosters and cabbages, hamsters and melon seeds, or fish and cats all coexist in harmony.
Lü Pintian, a leading Chinese art critic, notes: “Zhao’s works reveal both the aesthetics of modern art and the flavor of folk traditions.”
Zhao also designs paper-cut illustrations for children’s books, which are praised by readers for “expressing traditional culture with a modern style.”
He hopes the books will nurture a love of Chinese art in children.
Zhao grew up in rural Shandong Province, where he was introduced to folk arts like paper-cutting, New Year paintings and performances that now inform his unique cultural interpretation in paper-cutting.
“My experience as a child in the countryside is my most valuable asset,” Zhao says.
“That experience allows my works to be created spontaneously as part of a dialogue with nature. Artists should never forget their childlike innocence.”