What an island6 trip through the Wormhole would look like…

The sunny days of the Chinese Golden Week did bear fruit among the Liu Dao family – and we have recently added some new lovely faces! So fresh ideas and creative gimmicks are springing up and blossoming in the Arts Center – we are definitely about to prepare a spick-and-span exhibition paying homage to … the Golden Twenties!

Travelling back in time, our props room has gotten well-appointed with elegant qipaos, gangster hats and multicolored feather boas in order to produce apt artworks that would capture the bodacious spirit of the roaring 1920’s. With our fine tradition of East meets West, no limits are set in imagining our Journey through time. Les Années Folles, characterizing the decade’s distinctive cultural edge, equally existed in Paris, Berlin, New York and Shanghai. That spirit meant economic prosperity, modern womanhood and cultural dynamism.

make me up!

stunning model Katrina

Thomas gets connected ...

Regardless of geographical, historical or cultural factors, we have been doing research into the glittering worlds of flapper girls, sampled swingging Jazz-music and watched movies with gun-toting thugs in dark alleys. After days of brainstorming, conceptualizing, a lot of writing, and even more of shopping, we were ready to make things happen and invited high-class ladies for shooting. Gracious movements, crimson lipsand twirling paper-umbrellas were just the beginning of the arousing flame. Soon the glorious verve of long ago set the whole gang on fire.

flirting... um I mean filming in progress!

glamorous Zhang Tian Yi before becoming an artwork ...

We are counting the days until the opening night! For some days now we have been transforming the gallery space successfully into a smoky speakeasy and installing the freshest tantalizing artworks of our lady-loves! Below we give you a taste of what you should definitely not miss at island6’ next Vernissage: „Through The Wormhole“, FRI Oct. 18th, 6 to 9 pm. Be there or be square!

Text: Melani Murkovic

Photos: Monica Reyes

... and afterwards in "Wrapped In Silk"

“Wrapped In Silk”  (丝绸包裹)

When he first came to her, he was wet. She didn’t towel him down; she let the cold send a shiver to his bones to teach him of her touch. When he dried it didn’t take much, she already had a cadre of broken men. She places the lighter in his hand and places the cigarette between her painted lips. It takes him a moment to interrupt the gestures, but he lights her cigarette aching to please her. He abandoned his young wife to dress her in white pearls, but in the aloofness of her eyes he could see what she wanted. 

She wasn’t birthed into luxury, but learned early on what it meant to be a woman. When she was a daughter she was mothered by weak women, women who never partook in the wants of life but wrapped themselves in the necessities. Male mannequins fathered her. She could even see the plasticity in the man’s eyes while he wrapped her in silk. He kneeled at her feet and stared at the cleanliness of her white shoes. He awaited the sweet wine of her voice to envelope him, but after moments of no reward he looked to his mistress’s frown. She said nothing as she brought the lit cigarette to his forehead. She wasn’t surprised at all to burn through his plastic so quickly. 

Text: Jak Mussington