Exhibition period: 13rd July – 27th July 2013
Venue: iPRECIATION (誰先覺) 50 Cuscaden Road HPL House #01-01 Singapore 249724 Tel 65 6339 0678
Hong Kong ceramist, Rosanna Li, is known for her robust clay figurines. Her figures tend to be plump in contrast to today’s ideal slim physiques. Despite that, each figure embodies poise of grace and playfulness. These figurines are, in essence, Li’s commentaries on social issues, and keen observations of the mundane. Very often, her characters would unwittingly elicit knowing nods and smiles from her viewers.
In Coffee or Tea exhibition, her inspirations are drawn from the peculiar characteristics of Hong Kong’s indigenous café culture. These cafés are known as ‘Cha chaan teng’, meaning Tea Restaurant in Cantonese. Her figurines don gestures, body language and facial expressions of patrons while enact various scenarios commonly seen in the ‘Cha chaan teng’. The titles of the works further interpret her characters. For instance, “The Progressive Couple” is a pair of figurines sitting side by side and playing with handheld gaming devices. The interaction or lack of, subtly addresses a phenomenon that seems to have embedded in our urban lifestyles; whether or not we are conscious of it. Coffee of Tea? presented by iPRECIATION, acts as a mirror image of our everyday life.
Rosanna Li Wei-Han – is a ceramicist and design educator in Hong Kong. She studied ceramics and art education in Hong Kong and England. Her works have been exhibited in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Australia, Canada, USA, France, and UK. Some works are collections of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Guangdong Museum of Art, Shiwan Ceramic Museum, and Zhejiang Museum of Art. She is the winner of 1985 Hong Kong Urban Council Fine Art Award in Ceramics, 1999 Hong Kong Sculptor of the Year Award, 2000 Silver Award in Ceramics of the Guangdong Museum of Art. In 2005, she was conferred the Secretary for Home Affairs Commendation Medal for her Achievements in the Promotion of Arts and Culture. She is a Museum Expert Advisor of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and a founding member and former chairperson of the Contemporary Ceramics Society (HK).