Culture Beat: Lotus-themed exhibition held at Shanghai garden

Lotus artworks made from glass at the exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Art & Design Academy

He Tu - Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition is currently being held at the Guyi Garden in Shanghai. 

Co-organized by the Shanghai Art & Design Academy and the Guyi Garden, He Tu (Lit: pictures of lotus), is a thematic exploration of the integration of contemporary arts and crafts into the public space. 

Held during the annual Guyi Garden Lotus Festival, the exhibition uses the contemporary art to outline the image of the lotus with techniques such as glass and leather goods, showcasing the latest achievements of the Changhe Qiyun cross-border glass art innovation base and Shanghai-style leather innovation base. 

Integrating the art of Jiangnan gardens, traditional Chinese philosophy, contemporary art and arts and crafts, the exhibition explores a way of expressing the themes of public art, and integrates contemporary art into a civic space and the image of Shanghai's urban construction.

The glass works, which bring a touch of artistic atmosphere and contemporary philosophy to the summer, were created by Li Fubiao, an artist at the academy's Changhe Qiyun glass art innovation base. The leather works were created by teachers and students of the academy's Shanghai-style leather innovation base, showing the cutting-edge vitality of Shanghai-style creative leather goods.

The exhibition will last until July 21.