Visual art corresponds to the images in our mind. Works produced during different time periods all touch upon the forms, patterns and images that are embedded in people’s imagination. The images that have been represented and recognized turn into a language of communication, giving out an intriguing sense of richness and profundity. Apart from deriving from imitation and representation, images may also be constructed through interpretation and deduction. People are able to describe and delineate things that are not right in front of them or that do not exist in reality at all; and they are also able to revisit and review, from an alternative perspective, things that are immediately accessible to them. Thinking in this regard brings art with infinite possibilities and plays the role as a key to decoding the works. Rationality is not necessarily the opposite of instinct. Where it begins, people are imbued with the creative power to transcend themselves.

Rational thinking that is considered revolutionary has led to a hugescience and technology leap, giving rise to the information era that we live intoday. Predictably, some substantial and profound changes can be expected in the realm of art. Nevertheless, despite the changes in terms of the forms ortechniques, the core for artists’ practice still lies in the probing into the emotions, feelings and desires of human beings and the further exploration of the brilliance of humanity. Rationality amplifies desires through technology; and the mission of art is to imbue emotions and senses into the core of man’s thinking to prevent it from alienating or degenerating.

The exhibition puts an emphasis on the thinking processes and unique standpoints of the artists during their attempts for innovation, and keeps an intentional distance fromusing the final visual effect as the sole and only effective standard to judge art. The accumulation and integration of texts and principles do not make visual art. What we endeavor to cast light on is the origin of how the language forms take shape and the network among the various factors involved. Artists manage to demonstrate the charm of thinking by resorting to different materials and media. But art is never a knowledge competition. It takes huge from theartists during their constant exploration for the meaning of life.

About the exhibition

Courtesy of the artists and Shanghai Gallery of Art, for further information please visit www.shanghaigalleryofart.com.