Twenty years ago, Zhu Bingren became the man who freed copper. Pioneering a new form of working with the metal, Zhu’s “molten copper art” comprises free-form sculptures made without the use of molds.
This 81-year-old artist from Hangzhou carries a century-old family legacy in copper craft. Copper carving is listed in China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage, but Zhu has taken the genre further – innovating eight techniques such as the remarkable geng cai method that makes copper vibrant with colour.
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Golden Fortunes at GalaxyArt celebrates the 20th anniversary of the birth of molten copper art, and presents 68 of Zhu’s copper masterpieces, most of which have been created within the last three years. The exhibition, a testament to copper’s myriad possibilities, is split into five sections: the Year of the Horse Collection, Qīng Gòng, National Gifts, Molten Copper, and Copper Murals, Ink and Seals.
The “Year of the Horse Collection” showcases 38 horse figures in an impressive variety of methods that are strongly inspired by Tang-dynasty aesthetics and the works of Giuseppe Catiglione, an Italian missionary and artist whose realism fused European and Chinese traditions. The largest horse sculpture on display (Golden Steed in Full Gallop) is 2 metres tall, while the smallest (Success Rides In With The Steed) is only 16 cm in height.
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The Qīng Gòng series is meanwhile a joint display by Zhu and his son Zhu Junmin, who is also an acclaimed copper artisan. Zhu Junmin’s bonsai artworks use the molten copper technique to depict leaves and flowers through Eastern aesthetics. They also surround Emerald Plumes, Blossoming Grace, a spectacular peacock sculpture by his father.
Zhu Bingren’s contributions to Chinese art are further honoured through the National Gift series, where works that have been presented by China to other countries as national gifts are displayed. Highlight pieces include Auspicious Lotus Vase which uses filigree techniques to create an intricate, lacelike facade, and National Deer, acquired by the United Nations Headquarters in 2024.
Impossible to miss are Zhu’s copper murals. At 6-metres wide, The Eight Heavenly Horses is a standout piece that replicates the masterpiece of Castiglione through copper etching. Zhu’s artistry also extends to distinctly contemporary ink paintings, colourful tributes to his unbridled imagination.
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Finally, several art pieces have been selected to symbolise Macao’s status as a cultural melting pot and to honour its significance in the Maritime silk road in the Macao’s Molten Light (Molten Copper Series). “In a city of much financial fortune and wealth like Macao, it is crucial for the arts and culture to be nurtured in order for the city to be truly prosperous in all aspects,” says Zhu at the GalaxyArt exhibition opening.
Zhu spoke of copper with deep reverence as if it were a living entity. “When we allowed copper to flow freely, we gave it the opportunity to co-create as equals with the artist.”
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Zhu’s work conveys the impression that we are not only seeing the mastery of one artist. We are witnessing the collaboration between an artist and metal that has been set free.
The exhibition will be on until 12 April and is open daily at GalaxyArt in the Galaxy Macau.
