ICONS, illustrations by Cristina Rinaldi
Venue: Diana Cheung Experimental Gallery
Date: 2025.05.22 - 2025.06.03
Time: 23 May - 2 June 2025 10am – 6pm; 3 June 2025 10am - 1pm; Exhibition Opening: 22 May 2025 6pm - 8pm
Price: Free admission
Presented by: Italian Cultural Institute Hong Kong
Illustrator and Artist Cristina Rinaldi has lived in Hong Kong since 2022. She has developed an interest in the iconic Chinese women and how they became “icons” for Chinese Culture and Heritage. Throughout history, Chinese women have played a pivotal role in shaping and preserving the cultural and historical identity of China. Their influence extends across various spheres, including literature, art, politics, and social traditions, making them enduring symbols of the nation’s rich heritage. The artist has been fascinated by the ancient times, when Chinese women were often seen as the bearers of Confucian values and symbols of artistic excellence in poetry and literature, up to the 20th and 21st centuries, when they have continued to embody and redefine cultural heritage in new ways.
The work Icons explores the world of Chinese femininity in Hong Kong and China in multiple ways, also as perceived in the early 20th century advertising (icon cigarette for example, which is referred to the pre-war Shanghai posters in which is shown that smoking was seen as the mark of the “modern woman” at the time).
Cristina Rinaldi gives to these icons a contemporary twist, emphasizing common elements in the Hong Kong multicultural society. In the series, the illustrator captures the mixture of modern and heritage, which is what defines Chinese women at the eyes of the artist, as well as Hong Kong as a city that respects tradition while creating new values.
Programme Enquires: iichongkong@esteri.it
Website: https://iichongkong.esteri.it/en/gli_eventi/calendario/icons-illustrations-by-cristina-rinaldi-free-event/
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