秀作彫刻展
For those who were mesmerized by lobster wood carving, the artist Ryousuke Ohtake is having an exhibition of his new work in Toyko.
How I wish I am in Tokyo this weekend.
Shu-sake Chokou Ten
30.04.2015 – 06.05.2015
8F Art Gallery @ Tokyo Department Shibuya Flagship Honten
L180xW100xD20mm, Japan
A neat little gun which loads 3 rounds of elastic shots.
BANG BANG BANG
“I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight
Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down”
W180xD70xH500mm, China
This little guy is the bridegroom in the puppet theater.
This puppet is called a Chaozhou wire puppet, the body of the puppet is supported by a main wire attached to the back of waistline of the puppet while the 2 arms are controlled by 2 wires attached to the waists, hence wire puppet, all the 3 wires are controlled by the puppeteer at the back stage.
The wire puppet is originated from the shadow puppet, it is also known as the Paper Shadow Puppet (through there is no paper and no shadow at all). From the break through from its 2 dimensions into having a round body, a head, then the removal of the paper screen demanding for a more very articulated head and costume. The control of the puppet remained more or less the same as the traditional shadow puppet giving the limitation of the movement of the head and the legs.
Click here to see the insight of wire puppet in today’s world. In the beginning of the movie you will see a man talking in a small construction site to a worker. The worker is one of the puppeteers who have abandon his art to make a more stable living as a masonry worker. The leader of the small puppet theater was trying to lure him to perform again. Despite being one of the national intangible cultural heritage items, it seems that its survival at the moment is only held out by the determination of the artisan. So next time when you see a puppet show please go and give it the support it deserves.
L400xD60xH170mm, China
This is a scene from the opera “Mu Gui Ying Takes Command”. The story was set in North Sung dynasty, the Yang were a family mighty warriors, up to the grand mother to the young grandson, fought loyally for their country with many of them killed in the war. On the day while the family was preparing for Yang Zongbao’s birthday came the bad news – Yang was killed in the field. The family decided to go for seek for his revenge, grandma She Sai Hua was reluctant to send away her grandson Yang Wenguang, for all the male in the family has died, her husband all all her 10 sons. Mu Gui Ying, the wife of Zongbao and mother of Wenguang tested her son to see if he is good enough to go to war and it turned out he is a good fighter, so the Mu Gui Ying took command and went to war with her son.
In the wood carving, on the right is Mu Gui Ying on the horse with Yang Wenguang on the horse on the left, the other female of the family were out to see them off.
W140xD80xH150mm, Indonesia
With the nasal mucus dripping down, it mask can only belongs to the clown of the mask dance, the bondres. The half mask enable them to tell jokes and engaged in comical dialogues.
Bondres Dukuh is the advisor to King Raja, in the dance he also is the means to broadcast the king’s commands. As a comic Bondres Dukuh is a lame spiritual leader, a bit deaf and blind, his speech are filled with coughs and jokes about betel nut.
L250xH130xD60mm, China
A golden lacquered wood carving of the blessed symbols.
Flower – Wealth
Pomegranate (right) – Fertility
Books (behind flower) – Intellect
Painting (behind books) – Scholarly
Gu Qin, musical instrument (right of flower) – Peacefulness
DIA100xH300mm, Hong Kong + Sumatra, Indonesia
Remember the guri guri potion stopper? It has now completed with a jar!
The jar has been custom made for the stopper.
The figurine belonged to the datu (shaman) of the Batak tribe in Sumatra. Magic guri guri potion would have been kept in the jar, which is the ingredient for magic performed by the datu.
The figurine consists of 2 humans riding on a singa, a mythological creature that is benevolent and powerful, it is described to be part human, part buffalo, part crocodile.
DIA50xH180mm, Japan
Happy 2015!
Apart from being the first day of 2015, today is also the Japanese New Year!
Since the Meiji period Japanese new year has changed from the lunar calendar to the Georgian calendar. Most traditional customs remained the same, mochi, bell ringing and the Daruma doll.
The Daruma is a representation of Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to China in the 5th Century, he was also well known for his 9 meditation, gazing onto a wall for 9 years. The Daruma figurine is red figure on top of the pile, slightly rounded at the bottom like Bodhidharma meditating in the red robe. Daruma is believed to bring happiness and prosperity and ward off accidents and misfortune and this blessing is renewed every new year.
The aim of the game is to knock off the 5 colour pieces below the Daruma while keep him upright and not falling over. An upright Daruma at the end of the game would symbolize a success for his meditation and also good luck for the player.
W140xD30xH270mm, China
This is a wood carving based on a scene from the romantic comedy “The Story of the Western Wing”. It has nothing to do with the White House but a play set in the Tang dynasty about a young couple pursuing with their love for each other without the consent of their parents. In the old days, marriage are arranged by the parents with the husband and wife to be never meeting each other before the day of the wedding. Love affairs outside of this arrangement are forbidden and are seen as dishonoring to the family name.
In the scene depicted, the chamber maid, Hong Niang, was caught assisting Cui Ying Ying, the daughter of the chief minister, in seeing the young scholar staying in the western wing of the house. The lady of the house interrogated Hong Niang with her daughter Cui Ying Ying hidding behind the screen. In the end the family consented an official marriage on the condition that the young scholar Zhang Sheng would come top in the national official examination (a very difficult task). Zhang Sheng passed the exam with flying colours, became the zhuang yuan, married Cui Ying Ying and lived happily ever after.
L280xW80xH20mm, China
A cookie mould of – a mushroom, a pomegranate and a fan.
You might find the combination a bit odd;
the mushroom is ganoderma, a type of wood fungi which is believed to give longevity, a saintly plant,
pomegrante, the whole fruit being just seeds is a symbol of fertility,
the fan is a symbol of a scholar, they are often hang on the wall to give a blessing for the family to have a scholar.
So in fact, the three items are a representation of the famous Fu Lu Shou,
Amongst the unique pottery, you will also find Mountain Folkcraft’s collection at the Cobo Ceramic Workshop X’mas Sale.
COBO CERAMIC WORKSHOP
1/F Fortune Court, 33 Morrison Hill Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
5 – 9 Dec 2014 (Fri – Tue)
13:00-20:00
Mountain Folkcraft 