Zhuang Hong Yi's second solo show at Unit London kickstarted with a dazzling Private View, showcasing his floral masterpieces.
Zhuang Hong Yi took Unit London by storm with his new solo show, Earth. This exhibition displays a breathtaking collection of pieces, including his signature flowerbeds – painstakingly folded rice paper flowers coated with a mixture of oil and acrylic paints. Hong Yi’s choice of motif is hardly coincidental – flowers symbolise growth and are rooted in a markedly Eastern influence.
Guests entering the Private View
The materials comprising his work are traditionally Chinese – ink, rice paper, porcelain, and wood; they are bound together by the artist in a style that alludes to Western Impressionism. As such, Zhuang Hong Yi unites elements from the Eastern and the Western traditions as their confluence blooms.
Zhaung Hong Yi talking to a guest at the Private View
Most recently, Hong Yi has pursued his fascination with light, fabricating a sense of motion with colour gradients as they play on perspective. Hong Yi finds freedom in the act of creating and uses this process as a medium for addressing the harm endured by nature.
Guest inspecting one of Zhaung Hong Yi’s works
The Private View on 26 April 2019 marked the long-awaited return of Zhuang Hong Yi to Unit London. The gallery bloomed as over 500 joyful guests celebrated their love for art as they admired Zhuang’s rich, emotionally charged pieces, all the whilst enjoying refreshing Gin cocktails graciously provided by Roku.
Earth is on exhibit until 1 June 2019.
ROKU Gin
ROKU Gin prepared refreshing cocktails for the Private View. The Japanese G&T – made with ROKU Japanese gin topped with tonic water and garnished with fresh ginger. The Kyushiki, with ROKU Japanese gin – stirred with yuzu puree, cherry bitters and a dash of Double Dutch ginger ale.
Japanese craftsmanship brings out the rich flavours of ROKU. ROKU is produced in the “Liquor Atelier”, the specialized craft stillery for Suntory spirits and liquor. For instance, the attribution of the distinctive characteristics of the atelier owns four distinct types of pot stills and, in a process unique to ROKU, the botanicals are divorced separately according to the features of the extract and maintain their unique characteristics. Drawn out through vacuum distillation in stainless pot stills, where as the deep flavor of yuzu is achieved by distillation in copper pot stills. ROKU’s complex, yet the harmonious flavour is the result of the unique Japanese sensitivity captured in the blending carefully the crafted extracts of the 14 botanicals.
Double Dutch
Double Dutch’s twin founders, Joyce and Raissa de Haas, have a natural affinity for superlative drinks and excellent blending. While the world’s choice of spirits has continued to grow, mixers and sodas have remained bland, but Double Dutch has developed flavour pairing techniques in order to create innovative drinks designed to compliment, enliven and enhance spirits. Offering a premium selection of revolutionary mixers which use only natural ingredients, Double Dutch blend them with the highest quality water from the North of England to create crisp and fresh mixers for refined palates.