Yishu 8 Award winner creates dreamlike space of China

Sophie Lamm in Beijing. Photo provided to China Daily

When a French artist who reads Hans Arp, Odile Redon, and Andy Warhol illustrates China in her first visit, what would her art be like?

As the 2014 laureate of the Yishu 8 Prize, a Sino-French culture and art communications project, Sophie Lamm’s solo exhibition "Life in a Painting" is now underway at art gallery Yishu 8 in Beijing.

"When I first arrived in Beijing, I felt a free air of freedom and a world of possibilities. Beijing for me is magic with giddy elements. Its every corner is full of treasures and secrets…I read numerous Chinese ancient fairy tales, enjoy Chinese operas and traditional music, which act as the imaginative reality for me to draw inspirations from", Lamm said, describing her visit to Beijing.

Having lived in Beijing for three months, Lamm also encountered some artists, craftsmen, performers, architects and workers there.

Quite a few of Lamm’s works on display are created using Chinese traditional materials such as thin silk, with strong Chinese cultural elements. For her, the exhibition is a dreamlike space stemming from seeing Beijing through her eyes.

Writer and philosopher Christine Cayol, founder of Yishu 8, describes this exhibition as theater. "Sophie Lamm invites us to the theater. The stage scenery for the play is everywhere, and they present more meanings beyond themselves. Everyone can have his or her own way of opening the curtain to explore. "

To help visitors better understand Lamm’s artworks, the exhibition presents a video produced by a Bulgarian artist about Lamm’s process of working. "It’s about an artist producing art through another artist’s perspective." Cayol said.