PENG WEI -
INTRODUCTION

Sichuan woman artist Peng Wei uses the traditional medium of Chinese ink on paper to create delicate and intricate paintings of women's shoes and traditional Chinese robes. Representing the clothing in beautiful colours and patterns, Peng gives a fresh and contemporary expression to the traditional technique of ink painting, without intentionally reforming it.

As the daughter of an accomplished academic painter, Peng Wei prefers the ancient paintings of the Yuan, Song and Ming Dynasties to contemporary paintings and consequently studied Chinese ink painting herself. The design of Peng's works clearly reflects her interest in antiques. The artist's "Chinese Robes" are the result of a process of development in which the artist evolved from painting traditional themes like landscapes, by simplifying and condensing subject matter - painting not whole landscapes but taking pieces out of the context like stones or flowers.

Peng's elegant Chinese robes - pictured flat and with outstretched arms against a neutral background - are traditional yet modern at the same time. While at first glance the viewer only perceives the outer shape of the robes, a closer look reveals the intricate patterns, a variety of shades of colour and glittering particles bringing the painting alive with different visual effects. The softness of the handmade paper evokes the coaxing quality of fine fabrics, contrasting with the formality of their presentation. Gentle colours running into the paper are reminiscent of the frayed edges and faded patterns of museum pieces, connecting past and present.

Peng Wei is inspired by patterns from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, combined with aspects of landscapes, photos of classical Chinese clothing and images in magazines. Each piece the artist creates is unique and contains different patterns, colours and designs. Most pieces show intricate patterns, either spread evenly over the entire surface of the robe or emphasizing only certain parts like the arms or the lining in the front. Other robes are only painted in a single colour without any pattern at all, while in still other pieces the artist portrays famous Qing and Song dynasty figures on the robes.

Peng Wei's "Embroidered Heels" series evolved first by painting Western-style shoes and later with more and more typical Chinese shoes. Like the Robes every Embroidered Heel painting is different in pattern, colour and design but painted in the same dedicated and affectionate style with careful attention to detail. Peng's "Embroidered Heels" seem more colourful than her other work, often showing intricate floral patterns and abstract ornaments and sometimes both combined. Always only a single shoe, separated from its counterpart, is shown. Depicted in front of the white - blank - background the shoes, like the robes, are released from gravitational laws and are taken out of any factual context. Without giving any indication of either the former owner or use, the shoes' delicate patterns and carefully balanced colours become artworks in their own right, disengaged from questions of fashion or practicality.

Although Peng Wei states that her main reason for shoes is that they are simply beautiful (something that most women love) and worth being painted, they are items which can also be associated with a lot of different meanings. Shoes evoke various associations, particularly in China, where in ancient times a woman's feet were one of the most private parts of her body and considered as sexy.

Clothing and fashion are topics that are very contemporary and something which almost everybody can relate to, being continually confronted with fashion in our everyday lives. Peng Wei's Embroidered Heels and Chinese Robes are in no way ordinary everyday clothing but rather appear as something that can be found in a museum. By means of their unassuming presentation they touch people in a very personal way, evoking dreams and fantasies, transporting the viewer in the world of the past or legend.

Peng Wei's works can also been interpreted in the sense of a "memento mori', showing the vacuum of people's life, where beautiful things are used to cover the inner emptiness. In this context her paintings of clothing could also be seen as a reference to the transience of time and a reminder of death, which leaves only the outer shell of the former prosperous owner, reminding the viewer that you can't take physical possessions with you after you die.

Peng Wei doesn't deny these connections, but states that she never starts painting with any intention of conveying a particular meaning or idea. She explains that she just paints the things she sees and likes, and that her paintings only express her own feelings.

In the context of classical Chinese ink painting, Peng's work is an almost a revolutionary act, which frequently classifies Peng Wei as an "experimental watercolours" artist. Peng sees herself as part of the ancient Chinese painting tradition, which she insists is not dead but still alive and constantly changing. Her paintings succeed in conveying the artist's fondness and enthusiasm for antique objects and traditions to the viewer, using classical techniques and media very skillfully with new and contemporary content.