After the traditional realistic painting training and graduated from CAFA, these artists made the same choice to left abroad to study, where they pushed themselves overcoming the thought inertia but turns to thinking more about characteristics and representations in art. They made artworks multifariously to find something new, such as making a recreation from Classics, retracing to the inner experience in painting, imitating the narrating way used in historical form by personal understanding to switch the concept, or to make the work delicately, or by accident…
In today’s China, studying abroad is no longer the exclusive benefit of the upper class but becoming increasingly easier, even a necessary for many young artists. However, What continues to matter is existing. The development of Chinese art has focused on inheriting the family tradition since the ancient time, and it is different for the western artists which mainly puts the mission on subverting the previous schools to create new art, which means Chinese artists with western education have to digest two systems of thought from art history between the eastern and western, like the parable of two spirits in the classic books, The Book of Songs and Holy Bible, battle in our blood. How to reconcile these two spirits? How to coordinate the thought inertia after long-term training and the open vision? How does one find the individual identity in the age of globalization? Conversely, does making a further step gets closer to origin? These matters can hardly be altered by Dualism in a Post-human context. They try to expand the boundary of painting through the individual experiences and introspection, where also, their works are born.
Bernard Berenson thinks the European art has a fatal tendency to develop towards science. Even in a different cultural context, these artists reflect abstractly the Classical Chinese poetic feature in their work, and develop the polysemy which produces an abundance of colorful metaphorical meanings, thus, it might reveal that the empathy of the homologous spirit that results from the spiritual situation of ‘life elsewhere’.
Though living in different cities around the world, but the same situation they are in is to satisfy both the daily necessities and pursue the ideal. Like the policy “The Belt and Road” rolled out by government aiming to deepen the relations with the other countries, these artists make more opportunities to strengthen ties with the outside world.
The point of the exhibition is the multivariate attitudes of the artists rather than their differences.
Thank DA+ Space and VA Art Education for their sponsorship and support!
Chen Zipeng. July 21.2017
About the exhibition
Curators: Chen Zipeng, Cui Jie
Artists: Han Qingzhen, Zhang Kay, Yo Linhan, Tao Xian, Chen Zipeng, Li Hao
Duration: 2 December, 2017 – 17 January, 2018
Location: DA + Space, Rm 105, Bldg 13, 50 McGanShan Rd, Shanghai
Courtesy of the artists and DA + Space.
