The Guardian
MEAA marks 25th anniversary with new exhibition though room that was broken into remains closed. Staff at a museum in Bath have spoken of their heartbreak at the theft of priceless jade and gold artefacts as they prepare to open again with a bittersweet exhibition reflecting on health and wellbeing.
The gallery will reopen to the public on Saturday in time to celebrate its 25th anniversary, though the room that was broken into is still closed. The shattered display cabinets remain empty. Visitors will instead be treated to an exhibition by the Chinese artist Zhang Yanzi called A Quest for Wellness – an appropriate subject for Bath, where people have visited the city’s hot springs for many centuries. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a silk robe brightly decorated in tablets donated to the artist by her friends. Another piece comprises gauze bandages daubed with cinnabar moulded into the shape of mountains; a third is a collection of bracelets made out of pills.
