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The online exhibition, "Between Fine Art and Fashion Design" by Professor Yang Qiuhua, organized by DoBe Italy, the Sino Italian Design Exchange Center, the Malaysia Impressions Arts Center, IMPSART, and supported by the Municipality of Florence, the Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Design, curated by art critic and curator Becky Choong, launched on July 24th, 2026, at 12:00 (Italian time).

A Female Artist Wandering Between Fine Art and the World of Fashion Design

Text by Becky Choong

If a work of art lacks vitality and fails to break new ground, it is bound to fade into insipidness and cannot endure.

Female artist Yang Qiuhua has spent years immersed in the interplay of design materials. Her creative practice revolves around the fusion of material, colour, and life. I see that what surrounds her is this: "Textile dyeing is material; garments are material; fibre is material; paper is material; glass is material." Even within the expressive realm of mixed media, the application of materials remains central, lending Yang Qiuhua’s artistic expression a distinctive vivacity and inventive energy. Through years of practice and research in weaving and dyeing techniques, she has pioneered a new form of painting: using wax knives as brushes, combined with various textural effects, deliberate grain patterns, and the subtle use of naturally reserved fine lines, she renders a rich array of forms imbued with the lush beauty and Eastern charm of her vase-flower series. These works fully trace her trajectory from design to pure artistic creation, while also showcasing her ongoing exploration of material expression and artistic language.

An associate professor from Shenzhen, Yang Qiuhua has long been deeply engaged in design education. Her versatility and dedication are evident in works that manifest a female artist who seamlessly integrates design thinking with the spirit of fine-art exploration. Over the years, she has rooted her practice in weaving and dyeing, delving deeply into the expressive possibilities of fibre art, decorative art, and mixed materials, while merging the rigorous logic of design pedagogy with the emotional sensibility of artistic creation. Her works consistently transcend the constraints of traditional media, employing the interweaving and layering of paper fibres, fabrics, pigments, glass, and other materials to construct an artistic language rich in texture, spatial depth, and visual poetry—carving out her own creative space between classical aesthetics and contemporary art.

Taking natural scenery and humanistic imagery as the spiritual core of her creation, she transforms blooming flowers, withered lotuses, seasonal landscapes, and figurative motifs into emotionally charged, poetic visual carriers. Whether in the Vase Intervals – Four Seasons series, the Listening to Rain on Withered Lotuses series, or the Immersion and Superimposition series, each work reveals her delicate contemplation of life, time, and the cycles of nature. The layered textures, varied media, and subdued yet resonant colour rhythms evoke the poetic mood of Eastern aesthetics while simultaneously embodying the liberal and open forms of modern mixed-media art.

Her flower series, featuring enchanting hydrangeas, magnolias, and poppies, employs the rich textures and colour blends created by diverse materials to depict the journey from budding and blooming to serene sedimentation. Flowers are no longer mere natural objects but symbols of the passage of time, the rhythm of life, and emotional sustenance, imbuing the works with a warm, profound humanistic aura.

In her figure series, she adopts a concise, fashion-design-inspired formal language and vivid hues, combined with fibre structures and material textures, to shape new, fashion-forward female images imbued with Eastern allure. The Listening to Rain on Withered Lotuses series, meanwhile, uses the distinctive qualities of stained glass and mixed media to reinterpret the tranquil beauty of withered lotuses, merging the mood of rain, light, and Zen-like stillness within contemporary craft expressions, thus breathing new visual life into traditional motifs.

Yang Qiuhua is exceptionally adept at observing the chromatic and textural transformations that arise from different materials, gradually translating her design-derived experience into a vital language for painting. Consequently, in her mixed-media works, we see not merely an interplay of colours, but also the traces of time accumulated through layer upon layer of superimposed hues, as well as the rich visual strata sparked by the collision of diverse media.

Turning to Yang Qiuhua’s fashion design works and fashion illustrations, they constitute a radiant collection of contemporary beauty. Some critical observations she has provided are most apt: "She effortlessly wields her formidable modelling skills and painting techniques, precisely grasping the relationship between the human body and clothing, and, from a professional fashion-design perspective, endows her works with keen observation and delicate handling. The precise structures and moving tonalities, complemented by line drawing or textural rendering, radiate an enduring, serene, and balanced charm throughout.

With the unique sensitivity of a female designer, she explores clothing styles, materials, and decorative motifs through diverse visual expression pathways, presenting a creative practice that captures spirit through form. Her works reveal a clear trajectory of artistic evolution: the early phase emphasises pedagogical demonstration and experimental technique; the recent phase achieves breakthroughs through multi-faceted reflections on modern aesthetic concepts, international art trends, and clothing-life culture, with techniques becoming more composed and rational, details more confident and precise, manifesting a profound interpretation of fashion and feminine allure. The interplay of reality and illusion in her design expression not only reflects a settling of creative temperament but also conveys her in-depth contemplation of clothing and life culture."

In sum, Yang Qiuhua wanders between painting and fashion design, continuously pushing the boundaries of media, transforming her accumulated material experience from various design disciplines into a rich and highly recognisable mixed-media creative language. Through interwoven textures, subtly restrained colours, and an experimental spirit with diverse materials, she explores fresh interpretations of classical aesthetics within contemporary art. Her works oscillate between brilliance and stillness, figuration and abstraction, reflecting not only the ceaseless vitality of nature but also the artist’s profound meditations on life, humanity, and time. Within the interplay of reality and illusion, they convey the understated, introspective spiritual resonance of Eastern culture and an enduring, ever-renewed life force. Her fashion designs and illustrations, with their exploration of traditional Eastern aesthetic charm and their versatile, dynamic contemporary flair, manifest a macro-level vision that builds a luminous, ever-fresh mythology of beauty.

Yang Qiuhua's Mixed Media works

Rain Whispers over Fading Lotuses

 Stained Glass 

153cm x 186cm

Rain Whispers over Fading Lotuses （1）

Mixed Media 

60cm x 90cm

Spring Blossoms, Autumn Moon · Shadows of the Poppy Maiden 

Mixed Media

80cm x 80cm

Jade Terraces and Carved Railings

Mixed Media

80cm x 80cm

Inner Image.Merging

Mixed Media

100cm x 80cm

Yang Qiuhua's Fashion Design Works

"Ink Shadow · Snow Coagulation" fashion design collection was selected for the 14th National Exhibition of Fine Arts.

This work draws inspiration from the interweaving and resonance between traditional Chinese ink‑wash art and the mysterious world of ice and snow. Interweaving is one of the key characteristics of the harmonious coexistence between people, and between humanity and nature; interweaving and cross‑boundary integration are also important concepts in modern design. Centered on the theme of "Ink Shadow · Snow Coagulation," the colour palette primarily features black and white, blending the poised flow of ink with the dynamic vitality of the snow‑and‑ice world into the garment designs. Through layered fabric texture treatments, the works convey a sense of movement and depth. In the white snow‑coagulation sections, transparent materials and three‑dimensional draping techniques are employed to create a crystalline, sparkling effect. The design style combines classical charm with a contemporary fashion sensibility. The interplay of classical and modern elements endows the collection with an elevated artistic refinement.

Phoenix Dancing Through a Century

Metal Wire Fiber Artwork

180cm × 60cm × 50cm

Yang Qiuhua

Artist｜Designer｜Associate Professor

Yang Qiuhua, female, graduated successively from Shanghai Theatre Academy and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is a National Grade II Stage Designer and a Hong Kong Master of Arts and Crafts. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor at the School of Innovation and Creative Design, Shenzhen Polytechnic University. Her works have been selected for over fifty major domestic and international competitions and exhibitions, including the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, China Design Exhibition, Milan Design Week, London Design Week, and the Achievement Exhibition of China National Arts Fund Projects. Many of her works have been permanently collected by the China National Silk Museum, among others.

She holds numerous professional and social positions, including: Member of the Fashion Design Committee of the Art Design Teaching Steering Committee for Higher Vocational Colleges under the Ministry of Education; Director of the Academic Working Committee of the China Fashion Designers Association; Member of the Color Education Professional Committee of the China Popular Color Association; Vice President and Secretary General of the Hong Kong Light Industry Association; Executive Director of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of Art and Design Education for Higher Education Institutions; and Vice Chairperson of the Shenzhen Fashion Designers Association.

Recent Major Exhibitions:

2025 International Invitational Exhibition of Fashion Illustration from Renowned Institutions, UpperHills, Shenzhen.

2024 The 14th National Exhibition of Fine Arts, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing.

2024 The 1st National Plant Dye Art Exhibition, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Dalian.

2023 Sino-French Cooperation: China · International Intangible Cultural Heritage Artwork Expo – Best Excellence Award, Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

2023 China National Arts Fund Excellent Works Exhibition for Communication and Promotion, China National Arts and Crafts Museum, Beijing.

2023 The 6th China International Fiber Art Exhibition, National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai.

2023 The 3rd China Fashion Illustration Exhibition, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, Xi'an.

2023 China Fashion Design Works Exhibition, China Artists Association, Shenzhen.

2022 The 4th China Design Exhibition, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen.

2022 International Wearable Art Exhibition, Art Museum of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Wuhan.

2022 The 8th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations – Shandong Handicrafts Fine Arts Exhibition, Shandong.

2021 The 2nd Natural Dyes Biennale, China National Silk Museum, Hangzhou.

2021 Between Reality and Illusion – 2021 International Fashion Art Exhibition, Xiqiao Cultural Center, Foshan.

2021 Pengcheng Art – 2021 Shenzhen Fine Arts and Calligraphy Works Exhibition, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen.

2021 IMPSART International Biennale, Malaysia.

2020 The 2nd China Ceramic & Colored Glaze Creative Design Competition, Shandong.

2019 International Pattern & Creative Design Competition, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou.

2019 The Belt and Road International Resist Dyeing Art Exhibition, Wusan Art Museum, Nantong.

2019 China International Fiber Art Exhibition, National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai.

2019 Blue Vein – Cross-Strait Natural Dyeing Art Joint Exhibition, Taipei Contemporary Craft Design Museum, Taipei.

2018Harmony of Design – London Design Week Exhibition, Phoenix House, London, UK.

2017Essence Exploration, Stelline Foundation Exhibition Center, Milan, Italy.

2016 National Illustration Art Biennale, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen.

Recent Solo Exhibitions:

2021 Spiritual Craftsmanship: Exhibition of Yang Qiuhua's Fashion Illustration Works, Art Museum of Shenzhen Polytechnic University

2021 May Splendor: Yang Qiuhua Solo Fashion Illustration Exhibition, Nanshan Cultural Center, Shenzhen

Becky Choong

Art Critic｜Art Exhibition Curator｜Artist

Born in Penang, Malaysia.  

1973-1978 SMJK Jit Sin High School 

1983 graduated from National Taiwan Normal University NTNU. 

2016 Graduated from Nanjing University of the Arts, China. 

1992 Founder & Art Director of Impressions Arts Center, Malaysia. 

2018 Founder & Chief Editor of Internet Art Platform 【国际艺象IMPSART】.

2023 Curator & Art Critic of Sino-Italian Design Exchange Center operated by DoBe Group ，China.

Committee Member of Penang State Art Gallery, Malaysia.

Becky Choong formerly served as the Chairperson of the International Watercolour Society (IWS) Malaysia. She was the Chief Judge for the state-wide children’s art competition organized by the century-old Kwong Wah Yit Poh and has written art critiques for major Chinese-language newspapers such as Kwong Wah Yit Poh, Guang Ming Daily, Sin Chew Daily, and Nanyang Siang Pau. She has also contributed as a columnist and art critic for art magazines including Cai Die Xuan and others.

She has acted as an art advisor to various associations and has held six solo exhibitions. In collaboration with China, Malaysia, and Singapore, she has planned and directed numerous Chinese orchestra concerts and art charity exhibitions in support of social causes. Over the years, she has curated more than 80 art exhibitions and participated in over a hundred local and international group exhibitions of varying scales.

Solo Exhibitions

2003: Lotus by Becky Choong – Equator Art Academy, Penang, Malaysia

2004: Purity – elle six gallery, K.L.

2006: 3rd Solo Art Exhibition – Journey to Freedom, Oil Painting of Lotus by Becky Choong – Galeri Seni Mutiara

2017: Metamorphosis – Modern Legacy of Traditional Batik Art on Rice Paper

2022: Zen Jolfuness (The 5th Solo Art Exhibition)

2024: The 6th Solo Art Exhibition by Becky Choong “IMPRESSION & IMAGERY ”～ Series of Innovative Dreamlike Landscapes

In 2014, she was invited by the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery as the chief curator for the “ Retrospective of Cheong Pooi Yip “and served as a principal art critic for the exhibition. In 2015 and 2017, she was invited to write art critiques for the Soka Gakkai Malaysia solo exhibitions for Cheong Pooi Yip and Dato Tan Chiang Keong. In 2016, she was the lead art writer for the “Retrospective of James Sum “ also held at the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery. In 2019, she was once again invited by the Penang State Art Gallery to serve as Guest  Curator  and principal critic for the “Retrospective of Cheah Yew Saik” honoring the Art Director of the Kuala Lumpur College of Art.

Her artworks are held in private and corporate collections, including listed company Action Industries(Malaysia) SDN BHD , the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery, the Henan Overseas Chinese Calligraphy & Painting Academy (China), Henan Art Museum (China), Seni Gallery Mutiara and other private collectors and institutions.