Peng Wei

marked with one seal of the artist, framed

Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong
Private European Collection 

Hong Kong, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Ancient Robes, New Ideas, 7-18 June 2005

Overall in good condition
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Peng Wei was born in Chengdu in 1974 and graduated from the Eastern art department of Nankai University. Her works have been widely exhibited in Brussels, Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei, and are part of numerous private collections. She presently resides in Beijing.

Many are familiar with Peng Wei's exquisite and graceful designs on xuan paper and silk. Using traditional painting techniques to explore the language of contemporary art, she consistently pushes the boundaries of her compositions towards new explorations. Her past endeavours include illustrations of embroidered shoes and traditional robes, painting installations, painted paper-cast sculptures, a handwritten letter series, and more. Peng was born into an artist family and is the daughter of renowned painter Peng Xiancheng. Influenced by the cultural ambience of her household, she gradually began to experiment with combining traditional ink painting with the features and expressive methods of contemporary life. For example, she used traditional Chinese textile patterns as a background for landscape scenes. She also constructed women's evening gowns and covered sculptures of female torsos with her elegant renderings of beautiful natural scenes and architectural blueprints. These experiments, along with her mixed-media and acrylic paintings, all embody Peng Wei's expressive and adventurous artistic progress.

Peng Wei once said, "I am not interested in a specific 'theme', but I have always been interested in 'traditional painting'. Rediscovering and returning to tradition is the starting point of my creative path." Her creations, from cloudlike mountain caves to embroidered shoes, redefine traditional images through meticulous and original techniques of re-composition. In her works, one can see the subtle variations that form the basis of traditional ink painting, as well as delight in a sense of playfulness. The present work, Robe Series: Dragon is a powerful and rare composition that reflects Peng Wei's mature style. Her ability to balance symbols of tradition with a contemporary freshness is admirable. Her depiction of the traditional robe form and dragon connote the imperial symbol of power and status, while her fluid brushwork and delicate imprint a fresh and contemporary softness.