One mOOnlit night

One mOOnlit night

The Mid-autumn Festival, which people usually celebrate and offer sacrifices with abundant titurals, is considered as the second greatest traditional festival second to the Spring Festival.

Like Su Dongpo, men of letters are fond of writing poetry to express their wishes and sensitive emotion on each Mid-autumn day. As for ordinary people, the typical and popular custom is that families are sitting around and appreciating the moon together, chatting and eating mooncakes.

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

Classic and Cross

Although there are various ways for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, so far few artists show the festival theme with pure visual art, and much less the artists who set foot in the field of combining and developing the theme with contemporary art. However, Denise is the special one.

In a certain view, she finds something valuable and different in getting to know and understand Chinese traditional culture, which assists with her latest creation.

Actually, Denise pays more attention to the rich and various methods of making mooncakes during her latest travels and interests in China. She concentrates on collecting the moulds (a certain tool for making mooncakes in beautiful shapes) so much that she finds different sorts of wooden moulds in Panjiayuan Market (a second hand market for bargains, especially for antiques and calligraphy), which started her work of collecting mooncake moulds. As time passed, Denise has collected hundreds of moulds in order to start her artistic imagination involving Chinese complexities.

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

CLARITY

Laser Cut Plexiglass

750mm width

There are mooncake moulds in her studio, some are painted in red, some are painted in gold. these moulds bought from panjiayuan Market may show you various shapes and fresh feeling. Denise sometimes comprises different moulds in such a wonderful entire shape that they may be considered as an artistic creation as a whole. With her artworks Denise has converted and illustrated the moulds perfectly. no matter as far as the constitution or the contnt is concerned.

The "QUAN" of Dushang, which meets the greatest reputation in western art community, has been affecting on up to date art. However, Denise creates more, she impregnates the moulds and materials with fresh natural beauty during her creation even though the moulds and materials cannot be tasted.

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

Title: Classic

Medium: Mixed, resin, velvet, aged timber, brass

Size: 18 Boxes - each box 400mm x 220mm x 50mm

As you see in her artwork, some objects are painted with red appearance, some have the outline drawn with golden lines, some the outline of green lines. All the artworks of Denise's are rather attractive, charming and perfect in terms of both visual and taste senses. We could not help fising our eyes on her artworks, and also keeping our minds on her unique artistic imagination.

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

Icons

The installation titled 'Icons' is concerned directly with traditional painted icon; a holy picture used in worship. Traditionally icons are small, painted on a wooden panel with gold leaf attached to the surface. They were placed in the corners of private rooms or in grided order within places of worship. Icons are greatly admired for the expertise of the artists' skill in application. although the original artisans who carved the timber mooncake moulds are unknown the spirit and complexity of their skill is revealed through the application of paint and gold leaf.

a comment on the artwork by Denise Keele-bedford

Immortality

'Immortality' Hou Yi, Chang-O

The nine suns shot down by Hou Yi are symbolized by the nine images of Chang-O within a moon shaped box. The clear whiteness represents the absorption of all colours as the nine suns were absorbing the life of mankind.

The suns are contained and the telling of her story retains the immortality of Chang-O.

a comment by Denise Keele-bedford

Immortality

detail

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

In other artworks of Denise, she adopts a Chinese traditional rectangular table on which there are sorts of resin mooncakes and moulds. And some big pure red bars are scattered around the table and the floor. All the settingup manifests something inhabited and mysterious, which reminds us of montage-colouring effect in a movie. it is Denise's artwork that embodies her unique artistic mastery and good sense of entirely imagination as a contemporary artist.

Revolt

Myths of the Moon are tantilising and have given me the opportunity to indulge in several of the most famous 'gushi' shories.

'Revolt' - Grey is the colour for common people, red the colour of fire.

Common people are a strong force when they have the energy of fire. I honour the common people by placing their common goods and labour upon an altar table.

a comment by Denise Keele-bedford

Denise's artworks should be the paragon of the visual art transformed from the traditional food of China. they are not only mysterious and a speciality of China but also she has metaphored something of the beautiful fables and culture. In an aspect of form Denise has melded Chinese cultural characteristics into western art, which create a brand new art style of melting-pot culture. Whatever, all the creation is caused by her keen seeking of the misture of oriental culture and Western culture.

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

Intimate feast

detail

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

Denise is so interested in Chinese traditional culture that she not only uses it in her creation but also seeks cultural nature in her practice. all her research and exploration about Chinese traditional culture which involves ceremonies, tales, myths, history and records in different regions of China during the last two years, have revealed her easy-going, peaceful and open-minded mental attitude towards the foreign national cultures as an international artist.

Extract from Classic and Cross

by Sun Baijun on Denise's art practice.

August 25th, 2007

Whatever, from the view of theory research or actual creation, Denise will continue her explortion. Undoubtedly, Chinese contemporary art system will be more or less affected by her distinctive pondering and firm belief towards worldwide art and culture. As an artist withprospective views, Denise has been conceiving new artworks with deper and greater significance in the contemporary art community.

Rite of Function

Mooncakes exquisitely packaged in elegant boxes or decorated with glittering papers and brilliant colours attract buyers from all levels of society. These add to the energy and excitement of the annual celebration. For weeks prior to Meen Festival or 'shong qiu jie' mooncakes are baked and sold at locations including five star impressive hotels to village market stalls. Stacked like mountains or sophisticately laid out in rows, large and small it does not matter people enjoy the buying frenzy.

a comment by Denise Keele-bedford