A new art exhibition dedicated to Suzhou embroidery opens at the Royal Geographical Society in London from March 5th-17th.
From March 5th to March 17th, the Suzhou Embroidery: The Awakening of a 1000-Year Tradition exhibition will open to the public at the Exhibition Pavilion of the Royal Geographical Society in London.
The exhibition features the work of Chinese artist Wu Jian’an and Suzhou Embroidery Masters Yao Huifen and Yao Huiqin.
Suzhou embroidery originated in the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Known for its canals and rivers, it has a rich cultural heritage including being famed for embroidery. As one of the most representative embroidery traditions in China, Suzhou embroidery has a history of more than two thousand years and has been recognised as part of China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Instead of relying on this historical legacy, the exhibition reconsiders the position of embroidery in a contemporary context. Over 50 works are shown. On one side, a series of demonstrations of various styles of embroidery stitches, from the simplest to exceptionally complex. Beginning with the technical foundations of craftsmanship, the exhibition gradually moves toward the reconfiguration and extension of stitch language. Through this structure, it presents the transformation process from technique to art.
The exhibition also presents seven contemporary embroidery works based on the silk-colored fan painting Skeleton Puppet Play by Li Song of the Southern Song Dynasty. These works employ nearly fifty traditional Suzhou embroidery stitches and depart from conventional needlework structures, generating tensions among diverse stitch forms within a single composition. These giant works demonstrate the complex skills and beautiful outcome of embroidery as an art form. This series was first exhibited at the China Pavilion of the 57th Venice Biennale.
This exhibition brings the history of Suzhou embroidery into a contemporary context, for a new audience in London.
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