Taiwan Invited for the First Time to Participate in ‘London Asian Art Week’: Mo Hai Lou Leads Six Masters to International Acclaim
【Reporter: Qiu Sizhen】
Founded in 1998, Europe’s largest Asian art event, Asian Art in London, is being held from late October to mid-November at Cromwell Place in London. This event brings together prominent British museums, auction houses, galleries, art dealers, and key Asian art institutions from various regions to exhibit in the central art district of London.
▲ At the opening event at Sotheby’s for Asian Art in London, Asian Art in London Chairman Henry Howard-Sneyd (from left), artist Fu Yiyao, artist Grace Wong, and curator Dr. Ye Guo-Shin pose together. Photo courtesy of Mo Hai Lou.
For the first time, a Taiwanese art institution has been invited to participate in the event, with renowned appraiser and curator Dr. Ye Guo-Shin leading the team from Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Group. They proudly showcase six artists—Fu Yiyao, Grace Wong, Vincent Fang, Liang Yung Fei, Tai Xiang Zhou, and Ren Tian Jin—each known for their unique, creative styles. The exhibition includes works in painting, calligraphy, and sculpture, as well as luxury handbags featuring artistic designs, enhancing Taiwan’s visibility in the international art scene.
Fu Yiyao, daughter of modern Chinese painting master Fu Baoshi and recipient of the Brilliance of China award for promoting Chinese culture, presents works that reflect her main themes: temple murals, Japanese folk festivals, poetic art, and her “Father’s Brush” series inspired by her father’s style. In this exhibition, she introduces her Japanese poetic art series, inspired by classic works of the famed haiku master Kobayashi Issa. Fu reimagines traditional haiku, transforming its serene and contemplative tone into a vibrant visual expression that captures both scenery and emotion, embodying her fresh interpretation of Issa’s poetic style.
▲ Little Sparrow, Scatter Away by Fu Yiyao. Photo courtesy of Mo Hai Lou.
Grace Han, the high-fashion brand personally created by Grace Wong, daughter of Dr. Winston Wong, President of the Hongren Group, exemplifies a unique fusion of art and fashion. She extends visual art beyond traditional media like paper and canvas into leather, elevating her creations to a refined and sophisticated level. Inspired by her parents, particularly her father’s background as a British PhD in physics, she incorporates the “moire pattern”—a high-frequency interference pattern seen in imaging technology—into her handbag design, Our Melody 07, as a tribute to her father. This innovative piece marks her as a pioneer in integrating physics with artistic aesthetics in luxury bag design.
Celebrated Chinese lyricist Vincent Fang also brings his artistry to this interdisciplinary exhibition. He creatively merges elements from Victorian-era Steampunk (1837-1901) with the ancient Chinese ritual vessel Fang Ding from the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th centuries BCE) and the Mao Gong Ding from the Western Zhou Dynasty, crafting an artwork that transcends time and space. His piece imaginatively translates auditory themes into visual art, bridging music and visual expression in an exceptional way.
Calligraphy artist Liang Yung-Fei, former Director of the Department of Art Development in the Ministry of Culture, as well as of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Museum of History, blends calligraphy and painting into a harmonious whole. Works like Sunlight Over Mountains No. 2 and Cool Moonlight No. 2 showcase mountainous textures and dense forests through fluid calligraphic strokes, embodying both the linear beauty of calligraphy and the rhythm and emotion of painting.
▲ Sunlight Over Mountains No. 2 by Liang Yung-Fei. Photo courtesy of Mok Haulou.
Internationally renowned contemporary ink artist Tai Xiang Zhou presents his triptych series Celestial Phenomena of the Milky Way, which, unlike traditional landscape paintings that focus on mountains, centers on water. This series combines the mystical depth of the cosmos with the traditional painting styles of China’s Song and Yuan dynasties. Tai’s works are part of the collections in over ten prestigious museums in the United States, including the Freer Gallery of Art, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, as well as with prominent collectors worldwide.
Media Source : Economic Daily News
