Peng Wei (b. 1974) Bathing Horse ink and colour on Chinese grass paper, installation executed in 2009 31 x 39 x 15 cm. (12 1/4 x 15 3/8 x 6 in.) LITERATURE p.12 & 13, L’Écriture FÉminine – Works on Paper and Installation Group Exhibition Catalogue, Triumph Art Space, Beijing, October 2012
FURTHER DESCRIPTION Due to her family history, Peng Wei began studying the art of traditional Chinese painting at a young age; while she started painting with lake rocks and flowers as the main subjects in the earlier years, she has since transitioned into Embroidered Shoes and Mantle series. In recent years, Peng Wei has even extended her ink play into the third dimension, having created a series of painted installation art. She layers hemp paper, which offers more ductility, and pastes it onto the torso of mannequins, then paints classic figures or landscapes along the curves of the structure. The papier-mâché is then removed from the mannequins to become unique “painted installations”. Her burst of inspiration led to the realization of a new medium, allowing her ink creations to break out of the material framework of traditional painting, resulting in a very different, and highly fashionable take on the art of Chinese painting.