Chongqing- On July 8, the Dazu Rock Carvings Fashion Design and Xiliang Art Exhibitions were held in Yubei District. Through the artists' elaborate concepts, the Dazu Rock Carvings were able to interpret a new legend with the aid of contemporary art, much to the delight of the guests. The chairman of the Chongqing Fashion Designers Association, Liang Mingyu, said, "it is my responsibility as an artist to begin a thousand-year dialogue with Dazu Rock Carvings and revitalize ancient cultural symbols with contemporary art."

The event of Dazu Rock Carvings Fashion Design and Xiliang Art Exhibition (Photo provided to iChongqing)

A cultural name card of Chongqing and an international name card of China, the Dazu Rock Carvings are the last monument and masterpiece of cave art in the world, capturing the essence of traditional Chinese culture and profound artistic achievement. By resetting elements of the Dazu Rock Carvings, Liang Mingyu has created patterns related to carvings in Dazu, which he has applied to the design of fashion consumer products. The Dazu Rock Carvings have been transformed into lively and usable works of art under her design. Thus, more and more people, especially the youth, are falling in love with Dazu Rock Carvings.  

The exhibition (Photo provided to iChongqing)

The exhibit featured clothing artworks and paintings based on the Dazu Rock Carvings. It also featured furniture, fashion home accessories, clothing, silk scarves, ties, tea sets, handmade fabrics, soft decorations, carpets, umbrellas, cultural and creative products, and other fashion consumer goods. The exhibition also featured artwork from sculptor Cheng Xu, Qipao (cheongsam) designer Long Yan, and copper engraving master Chen Tielong.  

The exhibition (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Liang Mingyu has a deep affection for the Dazu Rock Carvings. When she first visited Dazu Rock Carvings in Baoding Mountain in the mid-1980s, she was deeply shocked. In 1991, she photographed models at Baoding Mountain after launching the clothing design Temptation of Heaven in Beijing. "I have never been far from Dazu Rock Carvings for more than 30 years," said Liang. In 2019, she participated in the Millennium Dialogue - Fashion Art International Invitation Exhibition at Dazu Rock Carvings, and in 2021, she began diving into the spectrum of Colorful Dazu.  

The exhibition (Photo provided to iChongqing)

There is a strong connection between the clothing and furnishings in this group of works that resonates well with people from afar. Furniture, fashionable home decoration, clothing, silk scarves, ties, tea sets, handmade fashion fabrics, soft decorations, and so on, related to Dazu Rock Carvings, are more accessible to the common people. Liang Mingyu said, "I wore clothing with patterns of the Dazu Rock Carvings today to show that art with a profound history can also bring us a rich aesthetic experience."  

The exhibition (Photo provided to iChongqing)

"I'm hoping to use contemporary aesthetic and artistic techniques to portray the world of Buddha in Dazu Rock Carvings. I'm also trying to integrate those elements into people's daily lives, which is also my responsibility as an artist," said Liang Mingyu.

The inauguration of the Chongqing Pattern Design Industry Research Institute (Photo provided to iChongqing)

The Chongqing Pattern Design Industry Research Institute, operated by Chongqing Xilang Pattern Industrial Design Research Institute Ltd., was officially inaugurated on the event's opening day. The institute will be constructed into an innovation platform focusing on reconstructing and designing derivatives of the Dazu Rock Carvings cultural relics to empower industrial development and research and practice the path of industrial application of patterns.

(Liu Jingjing, as an intern, has contributed to the report)