Zhang Yi, the founder of Liuli Workshop, is recognized as the pioneer and founder of Chinese liuli art, and is also a legendary figure who has put traditional Chinese culture and philosophy into a lifetime of creation in the field of culture and creativity. Previously, on the first anniversary of Zhang Yi's death, Yang Huishan, another founder of Liuli Workshop, held "WHY GLASS?" at the Shanghai Liuli Art Museum as a curator. Moving Forward with Perfection - Zhang Yi's Creation Retrospective Exhibition".
This exhibition not only exhibits Zhang Yi's Liuli works, but also the essence of Zhang Yi's lifelong creation from literature, film to Liuli art, including working objects, manuscripts, documents, etc., so that visitors can get a close understanding of Zhang Yi's lifelong creation.
Zhang Yi published a novel at the age of 19. In the 1980s, he continued to do great works in the Asian film industry, directing classic film works such as "The Story of Time", "Yu Qing Sister-in-law", "I Lived My Life Like This", "My Love" and so on. After winning the best director of several well-known film festivals, Zhang Yi suddenly "disappeared". In 1987, Zhang Yi and Yang Huishan joined hands in the creation of modern glass art and founded Liuli Workshop.
"Fireworks Zen Heart - Hibiscus"
In 2006, Zhang Yi and Yang Huishan founded the Shanghai Glass Art Museum, which was associated with the city of Shanghai. As the first museum in China to focus on the collection, education, research and appreciation of glass art, it not only opens a new world in the field of glass art, but also builds a bridge and bond for cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
Zhang Yiliuli's creations in this exhibition include four series, including "Taihu Stone", which pays tribute to the beauty of nature, "Freedom" of life after overcoming setbacks, "Fireworks Zen Heart" that amazes the French Centennial Museum, and "A Touch of Red". Zhang Yi once stressed that art grows in the soil of culture. His works have been collected by the China Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, the National Art Museum of China, and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, France.
"Taihu Stone - Cloud Rise"
In 2012, Zhang Yi created his own glass flower. He pre-buried the dewaxed flowers in the sand mold, blew the vase directly in the sand mold, and at the same time joined the flower and the bottle body, so that the glass pulp condensed freely into the most natural state. The "A Touch of Red" series on display subverts the flat concept of painting, and the transparency of the glass material allows natural light to shine into the painting, and in the glaze rendering, the layers of the brush are incomparably clearly revealed.
"A Touch of Red - Heavenly Spring"
At the beginning of the establishment of Liuli Workshop, Zhang Yi identified the core of creation as "forever creating beneficial works". Therefore, for each work of Liuli Workshop, Zhang Yi insisted that he must attach the explanatory text card he wrote in his own handwriting, and narrate the story of each work with beneficial and poetic words. This model, pioneered by Zhang Yi, is now used by many studios on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. For more than thirty years, in more than 10,000 days, he wrote explanatory texts word by word, and wrote more than 10,000 explanatory notes in total. Three thousand explanatory cards were displayed at the exhibition site. Yang Huishan said, "Because of Zhang Yi's writing power, Liuli art creation has culture and dignity. ”
Spectators visit Zhang Yi's manuscripts with explanatory red cards
Literature, film, glass art, a variety of roles Zhang Yi has a life of different fields of creation. What remains unchanged, however, is his cultural mission.
The exhibition will last until the end of March this year.