The UK’s largest Chinese art exhibition arrives in Manchester

The John Rylands Library is one of six venues in Manchester showcasing over 30 exceptional Chinese contemporary artists from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Harmonious Society, which launched this week, is a major exhibition showcasing contemporary visual art created by emerging and established Asian artists in response to the theme of 'Conflict and Compassion'.

The six key city centre venues are the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, ArtWork, The John Rylands Library, Manchester Cathedral, Museum of Science & Industry and National Football Museum.

The John Rylands Library is showcasing artwork from four inspirational artists – Samson Young, Wang Yuyang, Annie Wan and Zhao Yao.

Samson Young’s sound installation Chamber Music II: Silent Scores & Non-Events explores the cultural construction of deaf people as disabled, in both its current and historical dimensions. This work draws extensively from the Henry Baker papers and the Deaf Education Collection at the Library, the largest collection of such materials in the UK. The work will feature a series of small, low volume, sound making objects, installed at various locations within the Library’s atrium area.

An equally intimate work of seemingly breathing books by Wang Yuyang will also intrigue and captivate visitors to the Library. Positioned in the grand Historic Reading Room, Wang’s books will move, almost imperceptibly, in a slow, breathing motion, re-enforcing the notion of the written word as a living, breathing force, ageless and alive.

Annie Wan will be exploring the unique linguistic dynamic that exists in her home country, Hong Kong, where public announcements can be heard primarily in Cantonese, English, and then Mandarin. For ‘Harmonious Society’ Annie will be creating ceramic versions of the dictionaries used by herself and her friends, taking these essential tools for learning and rendering them fragile, non-functional and devoid of text.

Zhao Yao will be creating carpets depicting aerial views of international airports especially for one of the Library’s corridors. Visitors will be invited to tread across the carpets, adding a subtle performance aspect to the work as the visitors unwittingly re-enact the travellers who pass through these airports.

Notes for editors

Harmonious Society will run from 27th September – 23rd November 2014. A press visit is scheduled for 25th September.

For Information on Harmonious Society at The John Rylands Library: Laura Jewkes, Marketing and Communications Officer, 0161 306 4569, or laura.jewkes@manchester.ac.uk

For further information, images or interviews on Asia Triennial Manchester and Harmonious Society, please contact Catharine Braithwaite on 07947 644 110 or cat@we-r-lethal.com

Harmonious Society is produced in collaboration with Tang Contemporary Art (Beijing), Taiwanese Ministry of Culture and University of Salford for ATM14, with support from Capital Properties, T Museum and Manchester City Council.

Led by Jiang Jiehong, the project is curated by a curatorial team including Yu-Ling Chou, Ying Kwok, Lori Luo, Paul Stanley, Ying Tan and Lindsay Taylor.

Centre of Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester (CFCCA)

The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art has a 28-year history of showcasing Chinese artists from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the diaspora. It is now working nationally to extend knowledge about Chinese contemporary art within the context of the ‘Chinese Century’ and the global shift east. Ongoing projects include working with University of Salford to develop a new collection of Chinese Contemporary Art, and with a range of partners to develop both exhibitions across the country and the knowledge sharing Curating Chinese Contemporary Network.

Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways is a Hong Kong-based international airline offering scheduled passenger and cargo services to almost 190 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, Europe and Africa, using a fleet of more than 140 wide-body aircraft. Cathay Pacific is a member of the Swire group and has made substantial investments to develop Hong Kong as one of the world's leading global transportation hubs. The airline is a founder member of the one world global alliance.

Asia Triennial Manchester 2014 (ATM14), the only Asian Art Triennial outside the Asia Pacific region, returns to Manchester, UK for a third time on 27 September to 23 November 2014, with a vibrant and stimulating showcase of the foremost contemporary visual art from across the globe.

A major initiative of MIRIAD, Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University, Asia Triennial Manchester 2014 is a festival of visual culture that features a series of powerful exhibitions, commissions, and creative interventions by artists who live in, work in or address issues surrounding Asia.