Opening
Thursday 3 September
18h
"Overbrim the East"
Exhibition of Paintings by Four Chinese Contemporary Artists
From the very beginning of civilization, east and western art had made for distinct ways because of different modes of thought that created by cultures. We always say that the east art emphasizes much more on "imago" while western art attaches importance to formal likeness. The freehand painting in the east and figurative plastic art in the west had dominated their own art fields and created splendid history separately.
However, with the trend of economic globalization, art has been internationalized as well in the 21st century. No matter it is from west or east, contemporary art stresses on art conceptions and individual expressions of the mind as well as diverse values of human cultures. Contemporary art has been innovating on art form and exploring in deep spiritual field of art conception.
Chinese contemporary art has been developing along with the steps of China’s reform and opening-up in late 1970’s. In the early 1980’s, Chinese contemporary art critically examined our contemporary life and maturated gradually in the 1990’s.
Nowadays, there is a trend that Chinese contemporary art make efforts to study traditional culture, including spiritual elements, art form, Chinese pattern as well as edited Chinese pattern. This trend to go back to national and eastern culture symbolizes that the identity of Chinese contemporary art is transforming to link up with traditional Chinese aesthetics.
The four artists of this exhibition are from Shanghai and Nanjing, two metropolises of the old but modern country China. Their works represent a certain type of Chinese contemporary art to some degree. Although they adopted different art methods and materials, the Chinese characteristic themes, thoughts and art forms that they delivered are quite alike.
Traditional Chinese paintings always think highly on "imago" and regard the creation of "metaphysical artistic world" as the highest spiritual value. The passion for Daoism, Buddhism as well as Confucianism runs through the history of traditional Chinese painting. We could still taste such influence from the culture in this exhibition.
It is absolutely our pleasure and honor to organize such an exhibition and we do hope that we could describe some parts of our innovation on Chinese contemporary art form and spirit and communicate with your kind people in South Africa.
However, with the trend of economic globalization, art has been internationalized as well in the 21st century. No matter it is from west or east, contemporary art stresses on art conceptions and individual expressions of the mind as well as diverse values of human cultures. Contemporary art has been innovating on art form and exploring in deep spiritual field of art conception.
Chinese contemporary art has been developing along with the steps of China’s reform and opening-up in late 1970’s. In the early 1980’s, Chinese contemporary art critically examined our contemporary life and maturated gradually in the 1990’s.
Nowadays, there is a trend that Chinese contemporary art make efforts to study traditional culture, including spiritual elements, art form, Chinese pattern as well as edited Chinese pattern. This trend to go back to national and eastern culture symbolizes that the identity of Chinese contemporary art is transforming to link up with traditional Chinese aesthetics.
The four artists of this exhibition are from Shanghai and Nanjing, two metropolises of the old but modern country China. Their works represent a certain type of Chinese contemporary art to some degree. Although they adopted different art methods and materials, the Chinese characteristic themes, thoughts and art forms that they delivered are quite alike.
Traditional Chinese paintings always think highly on "imago" and regard the creation of "metaphysical artistic world" as the highest spiritual value. The passion for Daoism, Buddhism as well as Confucianism runs through the history of traditional Chinese painting. We could still taste such influence from the culture in this exhibition.
It is absolutely our pleasure and honor to organize such an exhibition and we do hope that we could describe some parts of our innovation on Chinese contemporary art form and spirit and communicate with your kind people in South Africa.
by Cai Guangbin, on March 14, 2009, in Shanghai, China.
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