"The Beauty of Knotting and Jade" by Ting-Ting Tang American Cultural Center January 20 - March 20, 1999

PR9903E | Date: 1999-01-14

The American Cultural Center lobby display cases will showcase the small-scale craft exhibition "The Beauty of Knotting and Jade" by Ting-ting Tang from January 20 through March 20, 1999.

The American Cultural Center lobby is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays, holidays, and January 23. The American Cultural Center is located at 54 Nan Hai Road, Taipei.

Included in the exhibit "The Beauty of Knotting and Jade" are about 25 pieces by Ting-ting Tang. The artist's husband, Tsao Te-kang, is a well-known collector of jade. Ting-ting Tang designs accessories and Chinese knotting to complement the precious jade. Her artistic vision creates contemporary approaches to showcase an age-old stone.

Most jade collectors treat their collection as objects for spiritual enjoyment, and appreciate not only the beauty of jade but the history each piece represents. However, Ting-ting Tang feels regarding ancient jade pieces only as something from the past creates an artificial distance between the object and those who see or hold it. To bridge the distance, she decided to apply Chinese knotting and accessories to jade pieces. She tries to keep the knots simple and elegant, to give an effect of beauty and harmony among jade, knots, and other materials. Her graceful necklaces of jade not only capture a love of the stone but also display her creativity in matching knots with jade in a unique format, as well as her subtle sensitivities to color.

After collecting jade for many years, Tsao Te-kang said, "Jade is one kind of Chinese jewelry. It was a precious gift for friends and a symbol of social status. Long ago, jade was only used by men. However, this ancient jewelry now wedded with Chinese knots is transformed into a feminine item." He is proud to see his wife's artistry transforming the jade with a new means of expression.

Each of Ting-ting Tang's knotted jade pieces is a unique work that combines the beauty and the spirit of the past as well as today. Lustrous jade is no longer an antique item to be locked in a safe, but an item that has a place in contemporary life showing its mix of ancient and modern characteristics.