Meekyoung Shin, Ghost series, 2009-2011 – part of ‘Sinopticon: Contemporary Chinoiserie in Contemporary Art’ – is on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Drake Circus (also at Saltram House, Plymouth Arts Centre and Plymouth College of Art Gallery) until the 7th of July. Meekyoung Shin has produced a series of soap vases for the exhibition, the colours are beautiful and subtle.
Modern China is so heavily influenced by western culture and design, the general opinion is that Chinese products are cheap and mass produced, this exhibition shows an interesting twist. Sinopticon is a construct of ‘Sino’ meaning China and ‘optics’ meaning ways of seeing. The theme is ‘Chinoiserie’, a French term meaning ‘Chinese-esque’, it originates from the 17th century when few Europeans had visited China.