lightgallery: A Contemporary Gallery in Central London
This was the lightgallery website.
Content is from the site's 2003 archived pages.
5A Porchester Place
London
W2 2BS
England
Welcome to the lightgallery website (circa 2003).
We are a new contemporary gallery in Central London offering a bright and elegant exhibition space in pleasant surroundings with easy access from the West End.
9 to 22 November 2003
JENNY CHU
Journey to Self
Tibetan girls braiding hair, Gansu Province, China 1995
Silver gelatin print 11'' x 14''
A Photographic Journey with China's Ethnic Minority Groups
Statement of the Project
China is viewed by the outside world, for the most part, as consisting wholly of Han Chinese. The truth, however, is that 10 percent of China's 1.2 billion population are from a variety of ethnic and linguistic groups, inhabiting approximately 60 percent of the total land mass. These groups vary greatly, ranging from the Muslim groups of Uighurs in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, to the Buddhist Tibetans of Tibet and surrounding provinces, to the matrilineal societies of the Chiang peoples in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces. The 55 ethnic groups officially recognized by the state include a mixture of cultures, customs and religions that are threatened with assimilation into the Han Chinese majority.
My first trip to China in 1995 began in my mother's family home of Shanghai. Shanghai is loaded with history but its vision of the future thrusts itself like an invasion upon the debris of old buildings and is certainly a blatant and somewhat horrifying reflection of China's frenzied strife to become the financial center of the world. From the eastern seaboard, I made my way across China to investigate the various ethnic groups of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guanxi, Qinghai and Xinjiang areas. Throughout these 10 provinces, I had the great pleasure of meeting and photographing the delightful and intriguing people of the Bai, Bouyi, Dai, Dong, Hani, Kazak, Hui, Hmong, Naxi, Qiang, Tajik, Uzbek, Uighur, Yi, Wa and Tibetan nationalities.
I hope to return to China to cover the remaining provinces and photograph, among others, the Jingpo, Lahu, Maonan, Miao, Mulao, Mongolian, Nu, Sala, She, Tu, Yao and Yugu in the southern and northeastern provinces. My contact with these remarkable people has inspired my photography and changed my life.
Bura Boys 1 China 1995
Silver gelatin print 11'' x 14''
I want to capture the present-day China before a sweep of change floods the land during this century.
China is an incredible array of faces, colors, fabrics, artwork, architecture, languages and customs which remain memorialized in my mind's eye, forged by the beauty of character and strength of spirit I witnessed through my encounters with the people of that land.
The hospitality, generosity and the immediate friendship often extended to me by perfect strangers left me humble and in awe. Through my photography, I have tried to capture the sense of closeness and love I felt for the Chinese people, as well as to document its cultures and society.
Brief Biography
I was born in 1967 in England to a Chinese mother and Malaysian father. Until 1995, I had never set foot on Asian soil.
My mother raised me as a single parent and we were isolated from our relatives who, like most Chinese families, are scattered around the world in places like Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. During my teenage years while living in California, my mother and I struggled through many conflicts.
In the early 1990's, authors like Amy Tan so eloquently and compassionately wrote of the kinds of experiences I had personally had -- of growing up as an Asian female in western society yet within the more restrictive atmosphere of Chinese home life. I began to acknowledge that the family troubles my mother and I had experienced were attributed to cultural differences more than I had previously understood.
Tong Ren view China 2000
This propelled me to investigate my roots further and in 1995, I began a series of pilgrimages to China for purposes of visiting the home of my mother's family, of furthering the study of the Mandarin language, of becoming acquainted with Chinese culture, and finally, of beginning to produce a photographic body of work of the various cultures that exist throughout this immensely diverse country.
Jenny has recently traveled to Africa on assignment with International Medical Corps humanitarian aid group. She lives in California, USA
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My note: While I was supposed to be doing some research on home relaxation solutions, I stumbled upon this site. Lightgallery sounded so familiar, and then I realized when I was an art student in London attending the University of the Arts London as an exchange student, my friends and I would occasionally drop into this art gallery that frequently showed contemporary art. Occasionally one happens across an artist's work early in their career, and then five, ten, or twenty years later they have become well known. But it is more likely that the majority of artists have a gallery opening or two and then fade away. Out of curiosity, I decided to do some google searches for the artists that are shown here just to see what would turn up.
OK that search is done, now onto looking up JENNY CHU, PIERRE AMIEL, and FERESHTEH STOECKLEIN.
Quick Update of what I found:
JENNY CHU is too common a name and I could find nothing. Sure there are a lot of Jenny Chu search results but nothing that appeared to actually be about this particular person.
PIERRE AMIEL, another dead end? No! Although at the top of the search there is a Pierre Amiel who was from 1226 to 1245 an archbishop of Narbonne. That is obviuosly not the right person. However there is an artist by the name Pierre Amiel that is represented by Saatchi Art. Bingo, this is the same artist that showed at the lightgallery. Glad to see he is still painting and selling his art.
FERESHTEH STOECKLEIN is also still painting. She too is visible on the Saatchi Art website. In fact she is represent at five online galleries. In addition she has her own website called Visual Poetry.( www.visual-poetry.com) This artist appears to be doing very well. Kudos to her.
Now it's time to get back to work editing my photographs that need to be sent out to a client.
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18 October to 1 November 2003
PIERRE AMIEL
'Mes petites toiles d'ete'
My painting is abstract since it doesn't call on figuration; actually it is in between both expressions.
By colours and movement I try to :
- trigger a strong emotion, pleasant or annoying, serene or oppresive; a pictorial projection of my sensitivity to life.
- induce the oblivion of material reality so as to provoke an immersion in a personal and unique emotional world.
Visually no element should interfere with the 'imaginary'; that is why my signature is at the back of the canvas.
Every painting has a title, since it's necessary. For the painter, it's an emotional key to his state of mind when he created his work.
The spectator has to ignore the titles. His sensitivity prevails; it is through the emotion he feels that he will be able to meet the painter and his reference.
Pierre Amiel was born in Perpignan, France from a Chinese mother and a Catalonian father.
As a young man, he admired Salvador Dali, doyen of the Old Royal City of Majorca and dreamed in front of the works of Zao Wou Ki who has developed his own unique abstract and still oriental style.
At 17, having completed classes in drawing, copying old Masters and reproducing adinfinitum line drawings and watercolours in Pre Raphael style, he decided to use painting as a form of self expression.
During 1969 and 1970, he exhibited at Deauville and worked later with the group "Jeune Peinture, Jeune Expression" in Paris. From 1980-83, still working with the 'Group', his work was shown at "Le Grand Palais". Further solo exhibitions soon followed in Vernon (1984), Chartres (1984-85).
After a break of many years, Pierre started painting again while staying in London in June and July 2000, in his native town of Perpignan, he has exhibited to great acclaim at "La Galerie Serra" and at "Le Palais des Rois de Majorque"
He now travels all around the world while working and living both in Paris and London.
PRESS REVIEW
June 2002 - Jacques Duplouich (Le Figaro)
Pierre Amiel: Liberating Colour
Colour is a tool for Pierre Amiel, a faithful observer of Matisse, who appreciated it as an 'instrument of liberation'. Families of blues enchant him Tthe dynasty of reds fascinates him. He is smitten with yellows. He instills in his canvasses squirts of bistre borrowed from Braque and sharp tips of ebony to provoke strong emotions. Such chromatic combinations could not be farther from pictoral zen. Such is precisely Matisse's teaching, so concerned with exploiting colour 'for its action over the feeling of the observer, as important(...) as the energetic sounding of a gong'.
Facing the universe, Pierre Amiel dives into the quick of colour; capturing the essence of things-events and beings -without make up, without blinkers, uncompromising and stubborn like a hunter on the prowl the image caught, he never lets it go. He fixes. It is there, presenting violence, burst or contained. The artist is not looking to please or swagger. A regard for gentleness and the beautiful art of luxury, utilitarian and made to measure for decorative purposes, does not cross his mind.
He is painter of thoughts, moods and impressions. Emotion is his raw material-pangs, overcome furies confronted with unpunished barbarity, hopes of rebirth, yearning, battles of the memory...
Here great fields of pure colour collide with fulgurating flashes into metamorphosed still-lives. Imaginary tumuli and invented megaliths stylise free spatial architectures, as if flung by magicians or gnomes, and enliven reality with total weightlessness and exceptional vigor. Ripping at deserted horizons, these shapes fix the figurative world in one of plastic abstraction. There is a freshness of the soul and a rigor of the retina within a rigor of the structure that are particular to Pierre Amiel, image catcher and memory arranger.
His brush tears space into shreds with a personal vehemence, a violence even. Such is his desire to seize life at its source, in its spontaneity, as it is. Scales of blue infused with black tell the same tragically bare decor of the world. Ranges of red capture his painful convulsions, his uncertainties, his dawn sufferings.
'To lay colours that render sensations', such is the abject of Pierre Amiel's work. There is often a gravity to his paintings, an austerity, at times a density, with their semblance of doomsday; always a powerful lyricism, insofar as they allow the eye to accustom itself to the mystery of the invited images.
We are brought to reality's boundaries, in an oniric kinship established as if to better fix the world's backgrounds. Pierre Amiel's work is a collection of sensations emerged from exposure to current events and to memory, of sequences barn from perceptible irradiations projected with his inner tonality into a conquering and beaming expression. The act of painting is for the painter a renewal with the moment, appeared/disappeared in colossal, subtle and cruel hints, certain that art is re-birth. it is also a continuous dissatisfaction, marking the issue of inner conflicts particular to the artist in his sensitive ties to everyday life and containing him to a certain violence. Because he is not spared either.
Far from hackneyed notions and schools, Pierre Amiel reads life day to day and paints his everyday readings. The eye and the hand obey the same passion. The painter's vocation is to reveal. To express the invisible. The unheard of. The joy of painting, heightened by a perfection of agreement between mind and brush wins approval at first glance.
Jacques Duplouich
Le Figaro
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12 - 18 October 2003
FERESHTEH STOECKLEIN
Artist Information
FERESHTEH STOECKLEIN studied Interior Design in U.S.A and Dusseldorf in Germany. Studies of Fine Art began with oil painting the "French Impressionist School of Painting - Ecole des Arts Francais".
As she lived in many countries in the world and her search for fulfillment of her art, it was during her stay in the Far East (Malaysia) that she was inspired by Chinese Brush Painting. She joined the Academy of Chinese Brush Painting and also learnt from three Chinese brush painting Masters in the art of Calligraphy, Chinese Ink & Colour Brush Painting. She learnt that every brush stroke has special meaning that symbolizes and is influenced by Chinese tradition, religion and philosophy.
Charissa 40cm x 50cm oil & acrylic
Later she returned to Germany where she joined the "Fachhoch Schule" in Duesseldorf and studied at the German School of Expressionist Painting working with watercolours and acrylic paints on large canvasses and paper.
With the artist's form of expression in watercolour, Chinese brush, or acrylics, she recreates scenes from Africa, Far-East, South America, and Europe, that mediates a calming peaceful impression allowing a temporary inclusion of the observer to enter and experience the unique and spontaneous harmony of the paintings.
The Artist is a member of the Autoren Galerie and Atelier Project in Munich, Germany.
Previous Exhibitions
1986 Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
1990 Hilton Hotel Duesseldorf Germany
1990 Schnitzler Beauty Spa Duesseldorf Germany
1991 University of Duesseldorf Duesseldorf Germany
1994 Galerie Am Bachfeld Muenchen Germany
1994 Autoren Galerie Muenchen Germany
1995 Safir Hotel Kuwait Group Exhibition
1996 Das Sekretariat Gmbh Muenchen Germany
1996 Autoren Galerie Muenchen Germany Group Exhibition
1997 Autoren Galerie Muenchen Germany Group Exhibition
1998 Autoren Galerie Muenchen Germany Group Exhibition
1999 Autoren Galerie Muenchen Germany Group Exhibition
1999 Sheraton Hotel Muenchen Germany
1998-2002 Permanent Galerie Muenchen Germany Arabella Haus Sheraton Hotel
More Background on lightgallery.net
lightgallery.net: A Contemporary Art Gallery in Central London
lightgallery.net served as the online portal for Light Gallery, a contemporary art gallery located at 5A Porchester Place, London, W2 2BS, England. Established in 2003, the gallery offered a bright, elegant exhibition space in a central London location, easily accessible from the West End. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Light Gallery’s background, mission, exhibitions, artists, press coverage, and cultural significance, based on publicly available information and contemporary accounts.
Background and Location
Light Gallery opened its doors in 2003, positioning itself in the heart of London’s vibrant art scene. Its address at Porchester Place placed it within easy reach of the West End, attracting both local art enthusiasts and international visitors. The gallery’s physical space was described as bright and welcoming, designed to showcase contemporary artworks in an inviting and professional atmosphere.
Mission and Goals
The gallery’s mission centered on providing a platform for contemporary artists—both emerging and established—to present their work. Light Gallery aimed to foster cultural exchange and dialogue through a diverse exhibition program, with a focus on innovative, thought-provoking art. By hosting a variety of exhibitions, the gallery contributed to London’s broader cultural landscape, offering opportunities for artists to gain exposure and for audiences to engage with new artistic perspectives.
Exhibitions and Artists
Light Gallery’s exhibition calendar in 2003 featured several notable shows and artists:
Jenny Chu: "Journey to Self" (November 9–22, 2003)
Jenny Chu’s exhibition documented China’s ethnic minority groups through photography. Her work explored the diversity of Chinese society, highlighting the cultures, customs, and challenges faced by non-Han communities. Chu’s photographs were informed by her personal journey to reconnect with her heritage and to document the rapidly changing landscape of China.
Pierre Amiel: "Mes petites toiles d'été" (October 18–November 1, 2003)
Pierre Amiel’s abstract paintings sought to evoke strong emotions through color and movement. His approach blended Western and Eastern influences, and his work was praised for its emotional depth and technical rigor. Amiel’s career included exhibitions in France and the UK, and he was recognized for his “painter of thoughts, moods and impressions” style.
Fereshteh Stoecklein (October 12–18, 2003)
Fereshteh Stoecklein, trained in both Western and Eastern artistic traditions, presented works influenced by her studies in interior design, French Impressionism, and Chinese brush painting. Her art recreated scenes from Africa, the Far East, South America, and Europe, aiming to mediate a calming, peaceful impression for viewers. Stoecklein exhibited widely in Germany, Malaysia, and Kuwait, and was a member of the Autoren Galerie and Atelier Project in Munich.
Press Coverage and Reviews
The gallery and its artists received attention in the press, notably with Pierre Amiel’s work reviewed by Jacques Duplouich in Le Figaro. Duplouich described Amiel as a “painter of thoughts, moods and impressions,” praising his use of color as a tool for liberation and emotional expression. The review highlighted Amiel’s ability to evoke strong emotions, noting the “freshness of the soul and a rigor of the retina” in his abstract works.
Audience and Cultural Significance
Light Gallery attracted a diverse audience, including art students, local residents, collectors, and tourists. Its central London location and commitment to showcasing a range of contemporary art made it a notable destination for those interested in new artistic voices and cross-cultural exchange. The gallery’s exhibitions highlighted global perspectives, with artists drawing on experiences and traditions from Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Artists' Backgrounds and Achievements
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Jenny Chu: A photographer born in England to a Chinese mother and Malaysian father, Chu’s work was deeply informed by her exploration of her own heritage. Her exhibitions documented the lives and cultures of China’s ethnic minorities, aiming to capture a rapidly changing society.
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Pierre Amiel: Born in Perpignan, France, to a Chinese mother and Catalonian father, Amiel was influenced by both Western and Eastern art traditions. He exhibited in France and the UK, and his abstract paintings were recognized for their emotional intensity and technical skill.
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Fereshteh Stoecklein: With a background in interior design and fine art training in both Europe and Asia, Stoecklein’s work reflected her international experiences. She exhibited in Germany, Malaysia, and Kuwait, and was active in Munich’s art scene.
Exhibition Program and Legacy
Light Gallery’s exhibition program emphasized diversity and innovation, featuring solo and group shows across a range of media, including photography, painting, and mixed media. By supporting artists with varied backgrounds and artistic approaches, the gallery contributed to the richness of London’s contemporary art scene during its operation.
Although Light Gallery’s physical presence was relatively short-lived, its commitment to cultural exchange and support for emerging artists left a lasting impression on those who visited or exhibited there. The gallery’s legacy lives on through the continued careers of its artists, some of whom remain active in the international art world.
lightgallery.net represented a vibrant chapter in London’s early 2000s contemporary art scene. Through its thoughtfully curated exhibitions and commitment to diversity, Light Gallery provided a valuable platform for artists and audiences alike. Its history highlights the importance of independent galleries in fostering artistic innovation and cross-cultural dialogue within major urban centers.