The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Shi Hui was born in 1955 in Shanghai, China. Following her graduation in 1982 from the Department of Applied Arts, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art, Hangzhou, Shi Hui worked for the Institute for Light Technology, Shanghai. In 1984 she joined the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art where she is currently teaching. Group exhibitions in which Shi Hui has participated include the '13th Inter- national Tapestry Art Biennale', Lausanne, Switzerland, 1987; 'New Artform', Chicago, United States, 1989; 'New Academicism 2', Hangzhou, 1991 ; '92 Ankara International Art Festival, Turkey, 1992; and 'Chinese Contemporary Art Archive Exhibition', Guangzhou, 1992. The fundamental quality of a sculptor is his or her love of manipulating the medium to be sculpted. Amongst the myriad colours, forms and materials available, Shi Hui chooses to work with Xuan paper, thin strips of bamboo, cotton paper, paper pulp and other media redolent with Chinese consciousness. In this way she has established her own artistic language. Shi Hui states: To me and my fellow compatriots these are more than just materials, they represent an integral part of life experience and, as such, form part of our collective imagination which informs creative practice. Since 1990 Shi Hui has primarily exper- imented with weaving plant fibres. She uses paper strips made from Xuan paper covered with Chinese calligraphy which she rolls to form a paper rope. Strips and ropes of paper are then woven and used to cover articles of daily use such as Chinese bamboo hats, lanterns and baskets. In the process of manipulation, the objects are invested with a variety of external mean- ings and cultural attributions. The conflict and melding of perceptual and rational values create a confusion of meanings and transform the functional value of the objects. The ability of the work to convey a particular meaning or message is confused and the viewer is left to ponder. The negation of accepted meanings causes the viewer to look beyond the extraordinary feat of handi- work and focus on and take delight in that which is simple and pure. It is interesting to note that the Xuan paper used by Shi Hui has been used by students to practise Chinese calligraphy. Instead of throwing it away she chooses to recycle the paper. The artist thus distances herself from CHINA SHI HUI Flowing 1991 Installation comprising rice paper, bamboo strips 300x300x200cm Collection : The artist a conscious and premeditated practice and by introducing an element of chance into the process of making she establishes a rapport with the viewers who are better able to identify with the work. From this perspective it could be said that Shi Hui not only transcends function, but she also transcends abstraction. Li Xu 61