Index
09 February 2012
Hannah Pang's portrait of a Chinese wedding
The glorious textiles and intricate embroidery of a 1930s Chinese wedding in Shanghai will come alive at RMIT Gallery on 17 February in a new exhibition.
Hannah Pang, Bride. Color: red. Chinese top and pants. Hand-woven in space-dyed silk ribbon.
Hannah Pang, Mother of the Bride. Contemporary Chinese dress with shawl. Color: khaki, khaki/gold, silver. Dress in pleated silk organza with embroidered floating pattern. Shawl with embroidered circle motif in metallic thread and lined with hand-painted gradation silk organza..
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Shanghai-based designer Hannah Pang is returning to Melbourne with her new collection, Double Happiness: Portrait of A Chinese Wedding (17 February - 24 March).
This exhibition is a contemporary interpretation of a 1930s Chinese wedding in Shanghai. Ms Pang made all the textiles for the collection using traditional methods, such as the ancient weaving and dyeing techniques kesi, shibori and embroidery.
RMIT Gallery Director Suzanne Davies said Ms Pang's latest collection would mesmerise audiences with its beauty and blend of traditional Chinese styles and Western influences.
"Her work is a revival of traditional textiles, skill and style. She seeks to establish contemporary appreciation and application of these skills that have all but been lost to 21st century China," Ms Davies said.
Hannah Pang has worked with Australian labels including celebrated designer Akira Isogawa, and Willow. Her dynamic reinterpretation of materials attracted leading fashion designers, such as Issey Miyake and Gianni Versace.
Ms Pang moved to Australia from Hong Kong in 1989 and now divides her time between Shanghai, Hong Kong and Australia.
While she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional handicrafts, Ms Pang moved to Suzhou, China, in 2001 to pursue her fascination with traditional Chinese embroidery and silk weaving. Suzhou is the home of kesi, one of China's earliest textile methods that can be traced to the Han Dynasty (206BC - 220AD); the ancient weaving craft creates a silk tapestry with cut designs that resemble carved art work.
Pang discovered the kesi technique was being revived due to high demand from the Japanese market, and began working with artisans designing shawls using Chinese motifs. Since then she has designed a collection of exclusive fashion fabrics that combined embroidery and weaving with other techniques such as hand painting and shibori.
Ms Davies said RMIT was pursuing an offer of a training residency for RMIT students at Suzhou, to learn the traditional textile techniques.
Public Event
The following free event celebrates Hannah Pang's new exhibition of textiles.
What: Artist floor Talk with Hannah Pang
When: 12pm - 1 pm, Friday, 17 February (includes Chinese finger food)
Where: RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Bookings: Essential on (03) 9925 1717
