On November 2, 2013, celebrating the first anniversary, the 22 Art Center on the bund in Shanghai was pleased to announce the grand opening of the old painter Jizi’s solo show. Jizi has engaged in the artistic creation of painting for more than 50 years, and perennially living in the northern foot of Yanshan Mountains, constantly pursuing the change and exploration of art, especially attaining a remarkable achievement in the language of Chinese ink and wash. When his works were initially shown five years ago, they were highly praised and approved by art circles at home and aboard, considered to be an innovation of Chinese painting, and his strokes, pattern and ideas were highly praised by artistic researchers, believing that it was a contemporary promotion for Chinese painting.
It is the first solo exhibition presented in Shanghai for Jizi, and features more than 20 pieces of new works finished in 2013, which are grand scenes, unrestrained strokes, a broad realm, moving about freely in time and space. The painter cleverly uses ink and wash, color, integrated into a new one, thick brush and ink, spirit resonance; changeable and moist color, blending and rubbing layer by layer, and perfected the brush and momentum of colored ink, which is a new feature and the innovation is reflected in this batch of works. Traditional Chinese painting emphasizes the use of ink, which is divided into five colors, stressing dry, moist, thick, thin, freely created and appropriately using the brush, and how to apply colored ink like ink and wash is a pursuit of modern Chinese painting, and the Chinese painting was once called “colored ink painting” in the 1950s, to strengthen the position and value of color in Chinese painting, while how to make good use of it and how to rise it to the level of the modern visual perception has always been discussed by a variety of painters. In a manner of speaking, Jizi’s works largely promote the development of colored ink.
There were more than 200 honored guests from all walks of life in Shanghai present at the grand opening of the solo exhibition of Jizi, such as Yin Zaijia, Director of HOW Art Museum, Gong Guangming, Director of MoCA Shanghai, noted artist Cai Guangbin, Wang Yuhong, Jin Yangping, Yu Xingze, etc., Bai Jiafeng, curator of “Art China”, Ma Yan, curator of Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Xia Qingyong, curator of Pear Lam Galleries in Shanghai, Yin Geli, Austrian curator, noted pianist Kong Xiangdong, as well as Qiu Xiaokun from an art fund institution, collector Jin Xunhua, and so on. Jizi’s solo exhibition is organized by the 22 Art Center on the bund in Shanghai, located on the bund art zone on the shore of the Huangpu River, is a professional agency to show and promote Chinese and foreign contemporary art. The center is located in the historical and cultural heritage building complex, and deals with comprehensive shows, academic exchanges, collections and appreciation, as well as artistic investment and advise, through the diversified forms such as easel painting, sculpture, photography, installation, etc., to spread the original appearance of art. In addition to acting on behalf of the Western masterpieces which originated from Chinese culture, it focuses on the local artistic rookies that are a combination of avant-garde with Chinese cultural characters, behind the cross-cultural artistic exchanges, to explore a new artistic language of the time and internationalization. Since it was founded in 2011, it has successfully launched several artistic activities, such as a VIP Night party for the first Christie auction in Shanghai, gradually making an impact on the art circles in Shanghai.
Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO.
