New gallery finds footing in Beijing Fun
Sukie Gallery, a new art gallery founded in late 2023, has recently opened its doors in Beijing Fun, a bustling commercial and cultural complex in the capital's downtown Qianmen area.
Underway at the art venue is its inaugural exhibition Pure∙Vibrant, a one-man show of designer-turned ink artist Sun Chu. Hailing from Gaomi of East China's Shandong province, the 57-year-old artist has served as the designer director and artistic director of VISION, a leading art and fashion magazine in China since 2003.
The exhibition, running through Thursday, brings together the artist's latest calligraphic work, mostly majestic pieces featuring a smattering of characters done in a bold, expressive style, which also easily comes across as abstract paintings for those who do not read Chinese characters. On view are also a video installation and magazines such as VISION, Art Absolute and Vogue China, through which the audience can have a glimpse into the artist's designs.
Curator Xing Yu hoped to showcase the vigor and charm of Chinese characters through Sun's calligraphy which fuses tradition and modernity.
"As we are gradually building our portfolio of artists, we will give precedence to artists whose creative practice reflects the spirit of the times and whose artworks must be aesthetically pleasing," Chen Suting, founder of the gallery, told China Daily website.
Chen, also executive editor of Art Absolute, said that her gallery, in addition to following the conventional business model of commercial art galleries, aims to promote crossover collaboration between their represented artists and business brands.
"Our team has had much experience working with luxury hotels and high-end beauty brands in curating themed exhibitions and designing co-branded products," Chen said.
The gallerist emphasized that she aspires to build Sukie Gallery into one that does not merely serve a small group of collectors but one that brings art to common people's lives and enables them to appreciate the allure of art.
"We will transform the work of the artists represented by us into day-to-day merchandise with beautiful designs and affordable prices," she concluded.