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To Strangers

Funded by the Academy of International Visual Arts and exhibited in its Star Space Gallery, Shanghai, this was the first joint exhibition of its kind, featuring makers from the East and West. Curated by Jiang Jiehong the joint exhibitors were Professor Teng Fei of the Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, and Professor Jack Cunningham, both leading exponents of the then emerging field of narrative jewellery. The exhibition and the associated lecture and catalogue centred on the universality of the themes of life and death (Teng Fei) place and relationships (Cunningham).

Through the 19 pieces in his series Cunningham extended the notion of narrative within the context of contemporary body adornment, exploring the related themes of journeys and culture. Including found objects and ready-mades (now one of the hallmarks of Cunnigham’s work) each piece is featured in the 38 page hardback catalogue written in English and Manderin. The venue is a large public space more commonly used for contemporary fine art and photography exhibitions, thus the scale of the gallery allowed for a dynamic installation of the artefacts. Through interviews with the exhibitors on China’s Documentary Culture TV Channel the notions of maker-wearer- viewer were explored along with the public perception of, and response to contemporary jewellery.