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
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.
W160xL120xH65mm, India
A wood carved stamp for printing pattern on fabric in India, a bunta.
Wonder what the pattern will look like with this stencil?
L300xD45xH65mm, China
The composition of plum blossom and bird is a popular theme for Chinese crafts.
Not only it this a yearly event when the birds come to party and feast when the plum blossom, it also has a symbolic meaning. A play on the phase 喜上眉梢 (xi shang mei shao), one is so happy that joy is expressed when in the eye brow. You might wonder what a facial express has to do with plum blossom and bird. The bird is 喜鵲 pica pica (magpie), its climbing on the plum branch 喜上梅梢 (xi shang mei que) has the same pronunciation has this uncontrollable joy.
W70xL100xH60
This cute little wood carving is in fact a tool, a wood block stencil for fabric printing in India, bunta. The stencil is painstakingly carved out from a solid piece of wood guiding only by a rough piece of paper template. Here is how they are made.
Check out our other bunta.
L580xW140xH360mm, L620xW150xH340mm, China
A pair or lions; the lion playing with the xiu qiu is a male and the other with the cub is a lioness.
These pair of wood carving is part of an architectural element, in fact it is part of the bracket that hold up the beam in traditional Chinese architecture. This highly decorative architectural / structural elements are found in the south, in larger building such as ancestral homes.
In the building the lions would have been view with their tails on the upper part and their heads at the bottom, as in the photo below.
W40xD40xH500mm, China
This engraving of the plant reminded me the pattern of the arts and crafts movement. Most probably also for the love of nature, the wall climber pattern was one of the first pattern to be used for the Chao Zhou golden wooden carving. Apart from wood carving it is also a popular pattern for pottery and more abstractly on costume.
W40xD60xH200mm, China
This is a pair of wooden candle stand that would have been mounted on a metal or wooden base, the candle would be fixed on top of the wooden stick. Traditional Chinese candles besides having a wick embedded, a small bamboo rod is also embedded on the bottom end. The bamboo rod made it easier for securing the candle, may it be on a candle stand, in the sand or simply in the ground. This pair of candle stand has a relief carving of the dragon, painted in red and gold, symbolizing blessings, they would have been used for happy occasions like grand birthdays, promotions, birth of a child, etc.
W350xD150xH700mm, Indonesia
This wooden figurine depicted the some of the instrument used in a Balinese gamelan. Gamelan is the traditional Indonesian musical ensemble which is accompanied by dances, puppet performances or rituals, a dancer is also represented on this carving.
The player on the right is playing a castanet. The drum played by the figurine on the left is known as a kendang, a two sided drum, which is made from hollowing out from the trunk of a tree. The kendang player is the leader of the gamelan, giving clues to the other players. Here is how it sound like solo;
W80xL250xH140mm, China
We have cowboys in China too and this is a very famous cowboy. At the end of the Ming dynasty, a time when the capital was under the attack of revolts, the Qing army, the Ming capital moved south to Nanjing. The courageous General Zheng led the Ming navy defended against the Qing at the north, deterred the pilots from the Netherlands and claimed back Taiwan. Before his return from Taiwan the Qing army took over the ruling of China and Zheng died unsettled in Taiwan. When Qing took over, the folks were still reminiscent of the previous dynasty, not knowing Zheng’s death was longing for his return to bring back the Ming empire. At his hometown Fujian, as a discreet statement, the craftman made variation of sculpture with a cowboy on a screaming buffalo; the first Ming emperor Zhu was in fact the famous cowboy. Now nearly 400 years on, this design has gained his own name.
Mountain Folkcraft 