The Opposite House is pleased to showcase the sculpture installation by Beijing-based artist, Zheng Lu. The installation consists of two parts: Hongren Landscape, and Water in Dripping, and will be on exhibit in the hotel’s atrium from August 10 to September 30, 2013.

Zheng Lu appreciates Hongren's (Chinese: 弘仁; early Qing painter 1610-1663) landscape painting, which has a calm and deserted meaning. Transferring the structural stability of the unique vertical geometric symmetry into the language of three-dimensional sculptures is his exploration. The heavy steel plate feels lighter once carved with 5,000 Zuanti characters. The reflection shows the complementary relationship of yin and yang by folding the steel plate, with the bottom part of the mountain constituting the ‘Yin', and the top part the ‘Yang'.

Water in Dripping was composed of characters from the poem ‘Wan Zhi Shui’ by the famous Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi (Chinese: 白居易; 772-846). The sculpture was made of two groups of moving water colliding in the air, which he uses to express the logical foundation of the worldview:  mobility and stability; perpetuity and temporality; materiality and spirituality, etc.
 

The third piece from the Water in Dripping series is part of the permanent art collection at EAST, Bejiing, a lifestyle business hotel also owned by Swire Hotels. Inspired by the legend of the Jiu Xian Qiao area of the wine immortal who dropped his wine gourd into the river forever making it fragrant, the piece uses over 20,000 connected characters taken from the “Ode for Alcohol Morality” by Liu Ling from the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

“Zheng’s approach of using Chinese literature and characters in his sculpture is refreshing. The two pieces are stunning in scale and design, visually working in concert with our draping mesh,” says Peter Wynne, area general manager of Swire Hotels, Beijing.

Zheng Lu obtained his Master’s Degree from the Sculpture Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. He was also trained in Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Arts. His work has been displayed in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.

Curated by

Neng Zhao is one half of Culture Continuum Consulting Co., Ltd., a consultancy in the Chinese art and intercultural communication spheres. Based in Beijing with offices in Hong Kong and London, Culture Continuum Consulting Co., Ltd. helps individuals and institutions with solutions related to the arts.

About The Opposite House

The Opposite House is located in Taikoo Li Sanlitun — a vibrant new open-plan shopping, dining and entertainment destination developed by Swire Properties. The hotel’s 99 guest studios include 9 spacious suites and a penthouse duplex with a 240 sqm roof terrace. More than half of all the studios are over 70 sqm and all are strikingly simple with natural wooden floors and subtle touches of Chinese décor.

About Swire Hotels

Swire Hotels has been created to manage intriguing urban hotels in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the United Kingdom, providing a characterful experience for travelers who seek individuality, style and personalized service.

The Opposite House, Beijing, opened in 2008 and was followed by The Upper House, above Pacific Place, Hong Kong, in October 2009.   

Swire Hotels opened a 345-room lifestyle business hotel called EAST, Hong Kong in Hong Kong’s Island East, on January 25, 2010.

Swire Hotels has launched a new collection of locally inspired and stylish hotels in the heart of great British towns and cities called Chapter Hotels. The first hotel in the collection, The Montpellier Chapter, Cheltenham opened in 2010. The second hotel, The Magdalen Chapter, Exeter opened in June 2012.

About Taikoo Li Sanlitun

Taikoo Li Sanlitun, located at the junction of Worker’s Stadium North Road and Sanlitun Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing, comprises two sites with a total gross floor area of over 136,000 sqm (approx. 1,470,000 sq ft) * spreading over 19 buildings, including the award-winning urban hotel – The Opposite House.

Taking inspiration from the hutongs, courtyards and alleyways of Beijing’s past and mixing it with its more worldly cosmopolitan present, Taikoo Li Sanlitun offers more than 200 shops, plus cafes, restaurants and bars, an 8-screen MEGABOX cinema, a unique cultural entertainment space, The Orange, and parking for more than 880 cars.

The retail portions of Taikoo Li Sanlitun are jointly owned by Swire Properties, which holds an 80 percent stake, and Gateway China Fund I (a fund managed by Gaw Capital) that owns the remaining 20 percent.  The Opposite House of Swire Hotels is wholly-owned by Swire Properties.

Visit Taikoo Li Sanlitun’s website at www.taikoolisanlitun.com.

* Gross floor area excludes car park areas.