Wanbing Huang, the Chinese artist who weaves ramie sculptures

It has been cultivated for almost five millennia in Asia. There arma plant prized for its strength, is used to make fabrics and paper… It is also the favorite material of Wanbing Huanga young Chinese artist currently exhibited in Paris, rue des Minimes, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China.

Trained at Central Saint Martins in London and finalist of the prestigious Loewe Foundation Craft Prize for his sculptural work The Entropy Reduction of Hundunthe artist tells us he wanted approach this plant in an “innovative” way worked for centuries by Chinese artisans: “I reinvent the rich cultural traditions of China through a contemporary prism. »

Long searches

A process which begins with a long phase of research, with the reading of “old books”, then the study of “traditional know-how with qualified practitioners, in order to learn from new techniques while preserving the characteristics of this traditional material », she explains.

Patiently, the artist then manages to weave the ramie threads between fine, rounded structures, to create abstract shapesgladly organic…Whose softness and density sometimes evoke fantastic bird nests, elaborate fishing nets or even ultra-contemporary architecture.

Nature and spirituality

Philosopher, imbued with a “spirituality” intimately linked to a feeling of “nature”, Wanbing Huang specifies: “The inspiration for my work comes of the very concept of lifewhich has always been a central theme in my artistic exploration. » His works express a perpetual search for harmony“evolving from a disordered abstraction towards an ordered incarnation, symbolizing the ideal state of human life,” she adds.

Good to know: in addition to his exhibition on rue des Minimes, presented until November 11 inclusive, it will be possible to see the artist again during the Salon des Beaux-Arts, scheduled from December 4 to 15, 2024 at the Réfectoire des Cordeliers.