Art salons, exhibitions held for ICIF warmup

Art salons, workshops and exhibitions were held at Mission Hills Maker (MH Maker) in Longhua District over the weekend, as warmup events for the upcoming 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF).

MH Maker, a municipal-level cultural industry base, has become a subvenue of the ICIF for the seventh time. Themed on traditional art and crafts and the interconnection between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the events provided a cultural feast for local citizens.

Participants of a salon on musical saw pose for a photo at Mission Hills Maker in Longhua District on Saturday. Chen Xiao

One of the exhibitions featured a collection of 40 carefully selected stamps showcasing major events, cultural relics, and the lives of ordinary people in Hong Kong and Macao. Additionally, there were exhibitions on creative cultural products, works by inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, and intangible cultural heritage works by teenagers.

On Saturday, renowned musician Li Yuanqing hosted a salon dedicated to the musical saw. He delivered a performance on this traditional instrument and engaged with the audience on topics such as inheriting and developing traditional art.

He Jungang, an inheritor of wheat straw painting, shared the skills and charms of this traditional art form with local citizens Sunday. He demonstrated the use of techniques like crossing and inlaying to create handmade products, utilizing the natural luster and texture of wheat straws.

Wang Ning, an inheritor of Meiqian paper-cutting, conducted a workshop Saturday. With Wang’s guidance, Louay Ali Dib, an expat from Syria, created his own paper-cutting works for the first time.

“I have known about this art before. But, it’s the first time for me to actually do it myself. And I think it’s very interesting when you start cutting the paper, it looks quite simple, but then when you unfold it, it unfolds into this very complex and very beautiful pattern,” the computer engineer told Shenzhen Daily. “I think it’s very amazing.”

More events will be held at the coming weekend, including a seminar on the inheritance and innovation of traditional arts and crafts, organizers said.

“In addition to facilitating professional exchanges in the cultural and creative industry, we also attach great importance to the participation of citizens,” said Chen Yadong, the person in charge of the subvenue’s cultural and creative affairs.