Cai Guo-Qiang - Sky Ladder
In the early morning hours of June 15, a huge white balloon filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium slowly ascended into the sky above Huiyu Island Harbour, Quanzhou, China. Attached to it was a 500-meter long ladder coated completely with quick burning fuses and gold fireworks that was then ignighted by artist Cai Guo-Qiang who has become known for his ambitious pyrotechnic artworks.
Ai Weiwei "Ai Weiwei" Exhibition at Galleria Continua & Tang Contemporary Art Center in Beijing
Ai Weiwei‘s recent art exhibition in Beijing is also the artist and activist’s first major solo exhibition in China. The Caochangdi-based artist, who recently won the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award for his advocacy of human rights, split an ancient temple into more than 1,500 pieces and meticulously re-built into two main parts of columns, walls and wooden beams. “Wang Jiaci” was the Wang Family Ancestral Hall that was an ancient place of worship that was built in the Ming Dynasty, a period that saw the dynasty rule China for 276 years between 1368 and 1644. The temple was dedicated to the cult of Prince Wang Hua, who ruled during the 6th century A.D. from the Curated by Cui Cancan, the monumental exhibition is spread across spaces in Galleria Continua and neighbor Tang Contemporary Art Center in an impressive creative display that is artistic, social and public in nature.
Galleria Continua Beijing Dashanzi Art District 798 #8503, 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang Dst. 100015 Beijing China
Hermès Maison Shanghai Opening
Parisian fashion house Hermès has opened its first Chinese Hermès Maison retail store in Shanghai, which joins a roster of other Maisons in Paris, New York, Tokyo and Seoul. Located in the upscale shopping district of Middle Huaihai Road, the Hermès Maison is housed in a historic four-storey brick mansion from the early 20th century, which had to undergo six years of renovation before opening. Within its clean but striking interior, the Maison features the label’s ready-to-wear collections, accessories, jewelry, equestrian pieces, home collection and a lounge bar. The fourth floor is designated as an event and exhibition space, hosting pieces from the Émile Hermès Collection. If you are in Shanghai, make sure to carve some time out to visit this store, which can be found at the address below.
Hermès Maison Shanghai 217 Middle Huaihai Road Lu Wan Qu Shanghai China
The HYPEBEAST City Guide to Shanghai
Although nothing is as exhilarating as spontaneously setting off on an adventure without an itinerary or plan, most of us will have had times where we look back and rue an overlooked, must-visit spot. Whether it’s a place to eat, shop or even just to bask in the ambiance, how many of us wish we had someone with similar sensibilities to inform us of these hidden gems, which aren’t included in your average guidebook? With ticket details consistently available, a last-minute getaway is literally a click away so leaving everything behind on a whim has never been easier.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2014 and Its Effects On China’s Growing Contemporary Art Scene
Following last year’s debut, Art Basel Hong Kong again took the city by storm, showcasing 245 galleries from 39 countries with 2,000 artists. Split between six sectors — Galleries, Insights, Discoveries, Encounters, Magazine and Film — the fair grew by 10% with 65,000 participants over four days. It united artists, collectors, and art aficionados at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Over half of the galleries came from the Asia Pacific, affirming an Asian sensibility compared to its other stops — Basel in Switzerland and Miami in the United States.
Fei Fei Sun by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia January 2013, 'Fei Fei'
Ming Xi and Hanne Gaby Odiele by David Slijper for Vogue China Beauty April 2011
Willy Cartier by Cecile Bortoletti for Elle Men China Fall 2012
Li Hui - Reincarnation
Arthur Gosse, Vinnie Woolston, Luka Badnjar, Julien Sabaud, and Michael Vinant by Matthew Brookes for Chinese Numero Homme Magazine
Nova Heart - My Song 9 VIDEO
Nova Heart is Helen Feng's solo project and is described by Vogue China's Creative Director Alex Chow as "dark, sexy and beautiful - music Karl Lagerfeld would be proud of." Feng has been a prominent persona in China's music scene over the last ten years, previously performing with Free the Birds (ZIYO) and Pet Conspiracy.
Nadav Kander - "Yangtze, the Long River" at Flowers Gallery
One in every 18 people on earth live on the shores of the Yangtze, the 4,000-mile river that roughly cuts China in half from east to west. Over a three-year period, photographer Nadav Kander made five trips to the Yangtze, traveling against the current, documenting the river and the people who live near it. Humans in his photos are dwarfed by the surrounding landscape, a conscious decision on Nadav's part to compensate for his outsider status. He uses the river is a metaphor for the unstoppable industrial and economic revolution happening in China. According to Nadav, "China is a nation that appears to be severing its roots by destroying its past. Demolition and construction were everywhere on such a scale that I was unsure if what I was seeing was being built or destroyed."
The photos are stunning, meditative, and calming, and the picture of the bathers on the rock is my current desktop background image--the highest praise I can give.
The series, entitled "Yangtze, the Long River," is currently on display at Flowers Gallery in Chelsea. Seriously, don't miss seeing these images in person.
Jac Jagaciak by JMN for Vogue China August 2012
Abbey Lee Kershaw & Tim Kershaw by Daniel Jackson for Vogue China July 2012, Modern Family
Mario Testino's legendary fashion and pop-culture photography has been collected in a new book entitled, Mario Testino. Private View.:
"The mere mention of Mario Testino’s name evokes a rush of adrenalin in anyone that cares, even a bit, about the worlds of fashion and celebrity. So omnipresent is he at major magazine shoots and A-list events—an insider if ever there was one—that he has become a celebrity himself. The launch of Testino's latest book, to celebrate his inaugural exhibition in China, brings together an exciting selection of his best studio work with glamorous examples of his candid shots. A beaming Gwyneth Paltrow clutching her freshly-won Oscar, a fur-cloaked Jennifer Lopez atop a commode, and the unforgettable portraits of royalty including Diana, Princess of Wales, and her sons are just a few of the hundreds of iconic pictures that are brought together, for the first time, inside the book."
