SKY FULL OF STARS (STILL LIFE WITH WING ON WO), 2023
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1. Ceramics: Wing on Wo
2. Flora
3. Behind the scenes
1. Ceramics: Wing on Wo
Wing on Wo & Co. is the oldest continually operating store in New York City Chinatown. Founded by Walter Eng in the 1890s, Wing on Wo specializes in importing Chinese porcelain for the Asian American community. The store is now a cornerstone of the NYC Chinatown community. Read more about Wing on Wo’s story here.
Wing on Wo Handpainted Bulldog.
Made in Hong Kong.
H. 8.5”, L 9”, W 8”
2. Flora
With a wide native range in Eurasia and North America, peonies were cultivated in China as early as the 6th century for medicinal and culinary purposes. Peonies have long been considered the imperial flower in China and symbolically represent prosperity, wealth, and honor. As Jacqueline Chao points out in her catalogue essay, peonies and roses (in The Rose Piece) together bookend LONG TIME NO SEE. Taken together, peonies and roses make a Chinese rebus meaning “May you enjoy eternal spring, wealth, and honor” (長春富貴 zhǎng chūn fù guì).The empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is native to China. Its seeds were used as packing material for export porcelain from Asia in the 1800s before the invention of styrofoam—in shipment, the crates and barrels would break open and spread the seeds of the tree in Europe and North America. It is classified as an invasive tree in certain areas of North America.
Baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata) is native to Eurasia and was introduced to the U.S. in 1828 during its height of popularity in the Victorian era. It is considered an invasive species in areas of the Midwest and western U.S. The Chinese name for the flower is 滿天星 (mǎn tiān xīng), which means ‘sky full of stars’.
3. Behind the scenes
Pictured above: (left) making ceramic plate flowers for Sky Full of Stars; (right) Jess Zhong helps to set up the scene in the studio during Shih’s artist residency.
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