What Shanghai lacks in ancient historic significance, it made up for in the 19th century through its determination to become the most important trading hub in Southeast Asia. By early nineteen hundred, in the aftermath of the British and French decisive defeat of the Chinese Empire in the two Opium Wars, the small fishing village was unrecognisable, and bustling with trade, energy and ingenuity. Its new status attracted an entrepreneurial and international crowd of settlers, who brought their individual culture into a city, now speaking a variety of languages, and together they created a flourishing environment. The unmatched playground to quick riches and worldly citizens, soon became the place to be for the latest art and architecture, fashion and music - and a multitude of other entertainment, some activities less noble than others. Walking along the Shanghai Bund, a waterfront area on the Western part of the Huangpu River that flows through the city, would have been lively in the thirties; sounds of live jazz music coming from the long-bars of the grand hotels, and trade stalls, street performers and people mingling from all corners of the world.

Known in the past as ‘Paris of the East’ or ‘The Queen of the Orient’, this was the modern metropolis where Jacky Tsai grew up in the eighties - and though it is a very different city today, the backdrop of the artist’s early years was the memory of the epoch; the plush Art Deco buildings, the narrow shopping alleys in the French Concession and the soul of the settlers who made Shanghai the affluent city it is today.

Roughly in the same years as Tsai was growing up, Shanghai Tang, a newly founded company in Hong Kong were making its first waves. Inspired by the glamour and glory of the heydays of Shanghai in the thirties, the late founder David Tang slowly pioneered an Eastern luxury brand known for its authentic craftsmanship fused with modern Chinese influences. The company would pave the way for its success with its modern twist on Tang jackets, close-fitting and high-slit Qipao dresses reinvented by socialite women in the 1930’s Shanghai, and porcelain and lacquer boxes decorated with contemporary motifs.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary in 2014, Shanghai Tang were looking for an artist to create jubilant patterns and designs. Somebody with an artistic personality who could affirm the soul of company. Choosing Jacky Tsai was inevitable; an artist representing a similar creative source of contemporary Eastern and Western influences - and one who had Shanghai in his veins.

Directed as ’A Garden of Vibrant Dreams’, the six compositions created by Tsai to celebrate Shanghai Tang are personal reflections upon his native China and the landscape of Shanghai and Hong Kong; the hometown of David Tang. Both cities to which Tsai has close ties. Through florals and wildlife the natural world is very much represented in these pieces - and the artist’s intriguing pop collages only subtly merges imagery from more modern and Western influences.

Native to the Hong Kong peninsular, and common in large parts of East Asia, the white ginger lily is famous for filling the air of the Hong Kong lush and curvaceous hillsides with a lightly fragrant and memorable scent in the late summer and early fall. Tsai’s translation in Ginger Flower sees colourful birds, dragonflies, butterflies and koi fish come together and perform a picturesque dance among the white ginger flowers, set against a pitch-dark background.

In Floral Play, the symbolic Tree of Life - representing development, uniqueness and beauty - becomes a plant of life. Acrobats and ballerinas perform and balance on the tiny stems amongst a kaleidoscope of butterflies and cleverly disguised in the imagery, Tsai places references to the nostalgia of old Shanghai; a biplane, a gramophone, a motorcycle and a summing bright table fan. The shimmery and light Goldenrod-yellow background is uplifting to this surreal scene that celebrates the vitality of life.

Inspired by the iconic Imperial blue and white porcelain, Tsai created a third work titled Lotus Play. A calm riverbank with lotus flowers and leaves quietly floating on the mirror-like surface. Underneath, the illusory setting displays energetic acrobats putting on a show on the lotus stems while two koi fish play with an old bicycle. In the background a rescue helicopter disappears into the mountains, an often-reused theme by the artist.

For several years, Tsai has been supporting charities such as ‘Saving the White Tiger’, and within his artistic practice he often deals with modern themes, like environmental and political issues; subjects that the artist has further explored in recent years. Illustrated by the rough and psychedelic surface of the ocean, in Petrol Rainbow the wildlife is reacting to the changing habitat and heading towards the east - closely followed by the industrial trawlers lurking below the surface. Signifying the year of the horse in the Chinese calendar in 2014, a single stallion is standing on the peak of an iceberg prancing courageously towards the west. As with all of Tsai’s works, Petrol Rainbow should not be interpreted as being supportive of any official Chinese propaganda, but understood metaphorically that the planet needs our attention.

To complete the series reflecting upon a garden of vibrant dreams, Tsai created two floral dragons inspired by the traditional icon of the East with application of his pop art effects, suggesting a harmony between the new and the old. The ferocious dragon looks as carved from ancient wood, with parrots, cones and dried bark making up the twisted body - and its razor-sharp claws and scaled fins replaced by small yellow spring buds and autumn leaves. The tamed and tranquil red dragon in Floral Dragon is lying on a shimmery silver background, whereas the blue dragon in Floral Dragon Gold Leaf is placed against a golden sky with floating fluffy clouds.

When reviewing Tsai’s fifteen years of practice, the Shanghai Tang series are interesting as they represent a body of works that closes a chapter of his more simplified and tapestry-inspired compositions of Eastern and Western imagery. The following year, the artist introduced the first superheroes in his work and changed the narrative, influenced by century-old Eastern literature.

The six print editions from the Shanghai Tang series were released in 2014 in an exclusive collaboration between Jacky Tsai, Shanghai Tang and Eyestorm. Manually screenprinted with three to six colours and additional archival layers, Ginger Flower, Floral Play, Lotus Play, Petrol Rainbow and Floral Dragon are editions of 60 each. The sixth print, Floral Dragon Gold Leaf, is a screenprint edition of 20 with hand-applied 24-carat gold leaf. All prints are signed and numbered on front by the artist.

You can find more information about the Shanghai Tang series and see the six print editions in more details on Jacky Tsai’s artist page here.