Exhibition by first international artist-in-residence

Exhibition by first international artist-in-residence at Te Auaha

An exhibition by Bifei Cao, the first ever international artist-in-residence at Te Auaha, opens on Monday 20 August at 5.30pm. Cao is a contemporary jeweller from Guangzhou, China. He arrived in New Zealand a month ago for his three month residency.

Entitled Vase-tibule , the exhibition explores and references traditional objects used in Chinese daily life, such as pottery jars and vases.

“I reinterpreted a historic joining method used in a jade burial suit from the Han Dynasty. By linking and twisting thin metal wires, small jade parts are assembled into body armour and act as a symbolic host for the spirit. My approach returns traditional techniques to contemporary culture as a remedy for modern life and technological innovations” Cao said.

“We are delighted to welcome our first artist-in-residence to Te Kāhui Auaha. Bifei has been working with students and talking with staff and he is a wonderful addition to our School’s landscape. We expect to host an international artist annually and we are already investigating who the next one might be. It’s so important that we forge these international connections and expose students to the breadth of practice internationally,” said Te Auaha Director Victoria Spackman.

A native of China, Bifei Cao studied both in China and the United States, before receiving a PhD degree at the Gold and Silversmith workshop in the School of Art, Australian National University, Australia in 2017. He also undertook research at the Jewellery Department of Gerrit Rietveld Academie, the Netherlands, as an exchange student in 2015. He is currently working as an Associate Professor in the School of Art and Design, Guangdong University of Technology, China.

The exhibition runs from 20 August – 14 September 2018.
Te Auaha Gallery, 65 Dixon Street, Wellington

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