Industry insight: from ‘singularity art’ to art as a whole

When art becomes a part of the space, there is no more artwork, instead, the entire space becames a work of art, as Zhengyin Art explains…

Le Meridien artwork - close up

As art service provider, we at Zhengyin Art are constantly looking for solutions to challenging projects where arts have truly became a part of the overall space. Since 2008, we started to rethink about the relationship between people, space and artworks. How to engage the viewer and share the story of the space through artworks has become a topic that we are constantly exploring.

Man working on carving out art from stone

Image credit: Zhengyin Art

For Conrad Hotel in Beijing (2012), we were challenged to create a wall using celadon porcelain. As easy as it might look, there are sensitivities within the executability of this artwork. Porcelain is a fragile material. If not careful, the button layers of the porcelain brick can easily become cracked. Another challenge is how to connect the porcelain bricks using the steel tube. Because porcelain has a ratio of shrinkage, in order for the pieces to successfully be connected together, the team needs to control the difference between 2mm.

This artwork was installed on site with careful attention to the interior design to ensure it fit into the overall interior design seamlessly. The jade-like glazing gives a delightful and elegant ambience to the space.

Artwork close-up in Conrad hotel

Image credit: Zhengyin Art

Another large-scale art project we worked on in 2017 was Le Meridien in Xi’an. The overall interior design centred around dragons, which was the auspicious cultural symbol of China. This artwork was consisted of pieces of three-metres tall porcelain boards. The boards were installed with varies of angles, which provides a playful tone to perspectives. When the viewer look at the artwork from different angles, the artwork seems to process a different form. When the artist was creating this work, he used the traditional Chinese calligraphy front ‘Cao Shu’ to portray the trace of a dragon, which fits well with the interior design concept. It also gives a mysterious and playful taste to the space. When the visitors stand in the room, they can see the trace of the dragon like it was just flying pass them.

LeMeridien artwork hanging from ceiling

Image credit: Zhengyin Art

Recently, we had the pleasure to work with Studio Munge and GZ art on the project of MGM & DYT in Qingdao, China. Qingdao as a city by the water. The overall design was centered around the mountain and the sea in the region. Our artist created a series of artworks based on the research about this area and delivered artworks that draws people into the cultural and landscape perspective of the space.

MGM lounge in hotel with contemporary art on the walls

Image credit: Zhengyin Art

During the creative process, our artist work closely with our partners to decide what elements to use to emphasize on the overall design concepts and also draws people into the cultural atmosphere that’s fostered in Qingdao.

Although MGM and DYT were close to each other, they have different styles and tone of voice. For MGM the artworks are more vibrant and chic, its sense of lush coming from a sense of confidence in the self and moment. On the contrary, the artworks for DYT was more considerate and has more touch on the history of the brand and Chinese culture. The overall feeling is more elegant and deliberate. Its lush is a restraint out-flow of cultural heritage. In this case, art was no longer just something decorative but something that draws out the richness in culture and sense of place.

Two images with same art in two different settings

Image caption: Left: MGM, right: DYT. | Image credit: Zhengyin Art

When you walk into a house, you see the owner’s collection of art, immediately you will be able to develop a sense of the household’s taste. It works the same with hotels and any shared space. We believe art has the power to transfer and elevate a space with a subtle language. It is a great way to show off who you are without saying a word.

With a respect to art and a passion for art services, we do our best to fulfil our client’s needs with a high standard. To ensure an art curation that’s most fitting to the overall design and play a great symphony with the interior design.

> Since you’re here, why not learn more about Zhengyin Art from Wei Xiao?

Zhengyin Art is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our Recommended Suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.

Main image credit: Zhengyin Art