Savoir Vivre - Artistic Ramblings in Pink
“There is no joy other than the joy of creating.”- Romain Rolland
The beauty of February should not be limited to just Valentine's Day. Love is in the air and our mood is pink. The entire month of February is filled with love.
Pink cushions on the office’s sofa, laying a pink runner on the conference table, decorating with fresh flowers, serving pink sparkling wine, playing soft music, our art salon begins.
Our theme is leisurely
Communicate about art, and chat about life, without any specific theme: there are already so many daily trivialities, in this romantic February, let’s leave behind the usual rules, regulations, and mundane tasks. Chat about whatever comes to mind, speak freely, talk about anything, and don’t stick to conventional topics, enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of coffee together.
When we are in the mood to chat, there’s no need to be confined to a room, a table, or a sofa. The entire office can be a great salon. We can chat wherever we like, even in the hallways.
Our food is pursued to the perfect
Early Monday morning, my colleagues Yo-yo and Yuan and I started preparing the office decorations.
We planned the menu for the event together with the help of my two favorite cookbooks. The most important thing is taste, of course, health and nutrition must not be neglected, also organic ingredients are the protagonists of the day. We visited several quality food stores in Vancouver, in order to select quality ingredients.
First and foremost, no event is complete without a delightful and delicious cold platter, and this time, we’ve created a special appetizer combination using bocconcini cheese, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, mint, and Italian cured meats. It’s a refreshing and delicious starter.
For small bites, we’ve prepared three different salads featuring salmon, tuna, and chicken breast as the main ingredients, served with our carefully selected Croccantini bites. The salads are delicately soft and tender with a fresh and sweet taste, complemented by the crispy and salty texture of the crackers, creating a perfect balance of flavours and textures. Despite it being a cold dish, we never compromise on the quality of the preparation. All the salads are made in the morning to ensure freshness and flavour.
There’s also “Devil Eggs”: Cut boiled eggs in half and top with a cream ball. The cream ball is a mixture of smoked paprika, mustard sauce, egg yolk sauce, black pepper, salt, lemon juice and butter.
Our dessert is homemade coconut jelly, which is refreshing and sweet without being high in calories. It combines taste, appearance, and health benefits. All the guests are full of praise. Many of them even expressed their desire to take a few cups home for their children.
The decorative flowers were personally selected by me the day before, paired with my favourite glass vase to add a touch of February romance and vibrancy to what was originally a rather business - like office.
The discussion of art is more attractive than delicious food
It is well known that Richmond is a prosperous commercial district with a wide variety of dining options, but lacks a strong artistic presence. However, the Vancouver area is full of hidden talents and treasures. For this event, we have invited my good friend and renowned painter and artist, Yang Xiaolu, as well as the “godfather” of China’s modern art collection, the esteemed master Zheng Shengtian, to join us.
The only regret is that my French independent curator friend Joseph, who visited our office for the grand opening last year, is unable to travel to Vancouver this year due to his busy schedule planning a new exhibition. However, we are delighted to have him join us online for this event.
Joseph enthusiastically introduced us to one of the most famous cafes in Paris, La Rotonde, which was one of the most popular restaurants among artists and writers during the golden age of Paris. Picasso was also a regular guest here.
Source：David Harmantas
This year can be considered the first year that we truly walked out of the pandemic era, everything is slowly returning to its pre-pandemic state. Joseph reminisced about the beautiful era of art in Paris, imagining the Paris of 100 years ago when masters like Picasso, Matisse, and Chang Yu lived. It was a golden age of Paris, with a front artistic atmosphere that became a classic period in art history.
The conditions for experiencing a meaningful life are not solely material but also involve revolutions in culture, art, and spiritual needs. A century ago, the rapid development of material life brought about by the Industrial Revolution allowed the masters to sense the wave of the times, as the conflict between advanced material life and backward spiritual life gave rise to the golden age of Parisian and European Art.
The conditions for experiencing a meaningful life are not solely material but also involve revolutions in culture, art, and spiritual needs. A century ago, the rapid development of material life brought about by the Industrial Revolution allowed the masters to sense the wave of the times, as the conflict between advanced material life and backward spiritual life gave rise to the golden age of Parisian and European Art.
And now, perhaps we are also entering a new era. As the representative of the Third Industrial Revolution, the Internet has experienced rapid development over the past twenty years, and the arrival of the Web3, along with the impact of the Metaverse and NFTs on the art world, cannot be ignored. These developments may indicate that art and culture have reached a crossroads and that a new golden age of art is just around the corner.
Angela Bi 毕颖
TCT Arte House, Founder
angelabi@tctandco.com
Written on March 14th, 2023
