A retrospective exhibition of the works of Chinese glass artist Zhang Yi was held in Shanghai

Source: People's Daily News

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. In November 2021, on the first anniversary of Zhang Yi's death, Yang Huishan, another founder of Liuli Workshop, held "WHY GLASS? 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 work objects, manuscripts, documents, etc., so that visitors can get a close understanding of Zhang Yi's lifelong creation and contribution.

Zhang Yi, who published novels at the age of 19, was well known for his best works in the Asian film industry in the 1980s. After winning the Golden Horse Award and the Best Director at the Asia Pacific Film Festival, Zhang Yi suddenly disappeared. In 1987, Zhang Yi and Yang Huishan joined hands in the creation of modern glass art and founded Liuli Workshop. Liuli contains their self-precipitation of history and culture, and emphasizes the sense of mission for inheriting a long national culture. Zhang Yi and Yang Huishan studied the revived and lost Han Dynasty glass firing techniques, and through international glass art exhibitions, the establishment of art research rooms in universities, and the establishment of museums, etc., created a modern glass art industry in the Chinese world today. The New York Times commented on Zhang Yi as "the father of the Asian studio glass movement".

Zhang Yiliu'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 Century-old Museum, and "A Touch of Red", a new milestone in oriental ink painting. Zhang Yi emphasizes that art grows in the soil of culture, and is well versed in the narrative language of the nation, literature and oriental Zen, which has created his distinct creative personality. 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. Literature, film, glass art, a variety of roles Zhang Yi has a lifelong creation in different fields. What remains unchanged, however, is his cultural mission.

It is reported that the exhibition will last until Next March.