Laraine Armenti

student of painting

Liangzhu Museum

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — HANGZHOU, no. 33 Hangzhou is known as "a paradise on earth" for its picturesque wonders. The threadbare hotel we stayed in must once have been elegant. The broad marble stairway had been roped off. Photographs were prohibited inside. Elena and I shared a spartan room on the second floor. I slept well despite the smell of cigarettes and street noise coming through the … [Read more...]

Quan Shanshi Art Center

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — HANGZHOU, no. 32 After lunch in the tea plantation region outside Hangzhou, the bus delivered six of us to the Quan Shanshi Art Center. It is a private museum that displays, collects, and promotes oil paintings from around the world. The center includes instruction, research, and free public access. The special exhibit during my visit was 19th Century French Realist … [Read more...]

Somewhere in China

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 31 Except for scant details, my courteous young interpreter had limited knowledge of our location, destination, or itinerary. The adults were speaking among themselves, merrily enjoying a family-style vacation in the country. They barely looked out the bus windows. Twenty-four hours after leaving Beijing for Shanghai, I was somewhere in China without a … [Read more...]

CAA Exhibitions

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 30 The China Academy of Art thesis exhibitions are extensive. The school provides rigorous instruction in a full spectrum of degree offering programs on three campuses. The school was founded in 1928 as the first art university and first graduate school in Chinese history. CAA is under the direct management of the Ministry of Culture. Despite the large … [Read more...]

China Academy of Art

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 29 China Academy of Art thesis exhibitions, Xiangshan campus map The China Academy of Art is a world-class fine arts institute in Zhejiang Province, one of the most developed and wealthiest provinces in China. The campus is located on the outskirts of the capital city Hangzhou. The school was designed by architects Wang Shu, winner of the Pritzker … [Read more...]

Bus Trip

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 28 My arrival in Shanghai coincided with a previously scheduled trip of Wang's colleagues and students from the Shanghai University Architecture and Painting departments. They graciously included me in their plans to view the China Academy of Art Thesis Exhibitions in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, a three hour drive north of Shanghai. We … [Read more...]

Arrival Shanghai

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 27 There are few more evocative city names in the world than Shanghai. When Wang visited me in Beijing, he urged me not to leave China without seeing his city. The first day was a long one beginning at 4:30 a.m. Wang's colleague Mr Li continued his generosity toward me by personally driving me the hour long ride to the airport. After a two-hour delay due … [Read more...]

Departure Haidian

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ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 26 The opportunity offered by the Inside Out Art Museum for an artist residency in Beijing fulfilled my lifelong desire to go to China. While there, the museum made no demands on my time, in part because the residency manager left her job the week I arrived. Everyone else in the museum was busy installing and promoting major shows. I alternated studio … [Read more...]