- This event has passed.
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Museum-calibre CINDY CHAO The Art of Jewel will present the“Meld in Light and Shade” – 2023 Annual Butterfly Exhibition at Opera Gallery in Hong Kong from October 18th to October 28th. The exhibition will showcase the brand’s tenth Annual Butterfly – “2023 Black Label Masterpiece I Amour Butterfly Brooch”.
This piece was specially created by jewellery artist Cindy Chao for a collector couple she has known for twenty years. Chao was inspired by their loving and supportive relationships and thus created the Amour Butterfly with the form as if two overlaying butterflies united as one. It is born out of love and carries the deep friendship between the artist and the collectors. The artist led a team of European master craftsmen for over 15,000 hours over five years to create this piece. The overlapping butterfly wings are crafted to create a three-dimensional and graceful shape, merging boundless imagination with the beauty of nature, and challenging the multiple transformations between light and shadow.
The Annual Butterfly Brooches, known as the most iconic Black Label Masterpiece of CINDY CHAO, embody the artist’s ongoing metamorphosis and the brand’s continuous evolution. The first Annual Butterfly, the “Ruby Butterfly Brooch”, debuted in 2008 and was later inducted into the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France, as their permanent collection in 2020. The second Annual Butterfly, the “Royal Butterfly Brooch”, was created in 2009 and became a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the United States in 2010.
Over the past nineteen years, CINDY CHAO has unveiled only ten Annual Butterflies, and to date, the Annual Butterfly Brooches have been reserved until 2028 by discerning collectors. These magnificent creations reflect Cindy Chao’s extraordinary artistic journey, demonstrating her unwavering determination to overcome challenges and her dedication to craftsmanship and creativity.
In 2023,CINDY CHAO launches the tenth Annual Butterfly with a public exhibition for this iconic piece for the first time. It will tour Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taipei, showcasing the brand’s superb craftsmanship. The first stop will be in September at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai. In October, the “Amour Butterfly Brooch” flutters into Hong Kong and will be exhibited at Opera Gallery for two weeks.
Artist Cindy Chao considers exhibitions as part of her creation, unveiling the true essence of “art jewellery” to the world through it. In “Meld in Light and Shade,” Viewers not only can appreciate all the details of the front and back of the artwork but also experience its exquisite changes following visual and sensory perceptions. They can experience the artist’s creativity, the pinnacle of craftsmanship, the exploration of materials, and Cindy Chao’s creative journey.
To highlight the lyricism of Cindy Chao’s design, Opera Gallery is presenting two lyrical abstract artists: Chu Teh-Chun and Feng Xiao-Min. Originating from China, both painters mastered their technique in Paris, France. Their artistic achievement demonstrates a fluid interplay between darkness and light, Eastern painting technique and Chinese calligraphy, personal reflection and universal harmony. Chu and Feng’s artistic journey parallels Cindy Chao’s creative voyage from East to West.
Symbol of renewal and metamorphosis, the iconic butterfly is a recurring motif in Spanish artist Manolo Valdés’ art. Master of materials, Valdés reimagines the butterfly across a range of mediums including bronze, resin, wood and marble. The elegance and virtuosity of Cindy Chao’s jewellery accentuate women’s inherent beauty and mystery. Inspired by classic frescos, Spanish painter Lita Cabellut depicts the duality and complexity of human nature in her contemporary, emotive portraits. Cabellut’s abstract interpretations of the human gaze invite the viewer into their mesmerising world.
