Highlights From Winter Blossom Fair

UK’s First East Asian Art and Design Fair Launched in Chinatown

9 to 11 November saw China Exchange present the public with a unique fair blending aesthetically pleasing art and design work with the theme of appreciating East Asian cultures. Visitors had the chance to learn about new talent from East Asian countries and Western artists inspired by East Asian cultures. Plenty of creative pieces that were both collectable and affordable found their way to new homes through the fair.

A series of free talks and activities held over the weekend encouraged the public of all ages to explore the rich cultures. American artist Chalice Mitchell shared her art practice that was created and shaped from her time living in Japan and how she revisits the definition of gender and power through ink painting. As a ‘digital craftsperson’, French artist Damien Borowik gave the audience an eye-opening talk on how technology affects the perception and appreciation of an artwork. Founder of Yuan Li London Millinery guided the audience to learn about her link between hat styling and self-expression in her Wear Your Heart on Your Hat talk.  

Presented by The Muban Educational Trust, our audiences enjoyed listening to artist Weimin He on woodblock printing an ancient Chinese art form. Younger children had the opportunity to hear ancient Chinese stories about mythical creatures from The Classic of Mountains and Seas at our family event ‘Fantastic Beasts’ . We also had the representative from Christie’s Education present their learning programmes that would be more suitable for learners who want to look into studying art courses with established institutions.

Community cause project Made in Chinatown also set up a stall to raise fund for local charities. A workshop led by artist Shoran Jiang allowed the audience to learn Chinese painting and create beautiful bookmarks that straight went into the Made in Chinatown stall sale. Artist Debbie Chung who is a regular volunteer of Chinese Community Centre displayed her artwork and pledged part of her sale to the centre.

The Winter Blossom Fair is in association with Asian Art in London. Special thanks to consultant Isabella Liu and our 2018 stall holders!