Curators' Choice: China September 24, 2006 -
January 14, 2007
In Curators' Choice: China at the Art Complex
Museum, works of art spanning the period from the Shang Dynasty (c.1766-1045
B.C.E.) to the present will be exhibited from September 24, 2006 through January
14, 2007.
The depth and breadth of Chinese art and culture are
impressive. The exhibit presents a range of media and technique: painting,
calligraphy, sculpture, bronze, ceramics, jade, glass, textiles, furniture,
snuff bottles and jewelry. It draws on the rich permanent collection of the
museum and juxtaposes it with works by seven contemporary artists working within
the Chinese tradition.
Contemporary artists include Irene Chan, David
Hinton, Fred Liang, Lin Yan, Ma Qingxoing, Wei Jia, and Zhu Wei. Each works on a
much larger scale than the art exhibited from the collection and some use color
in an unusual fashion. As the exhibition developed, curators became increasingly
aware of the significant correspondences between the museum's collection and the
contemporary works in several arenas: philosophy and religion, motifs and media.
Taoism and Buddhism have exerted a strong influence on Chinese art and
culture. Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, the primary literary work of that philosophy,
informs the poetry of David Hinton. The Tao or path and the relation between
humans and the natural world are reflected in the work of contemporary artists
Irene Chan and Fred Liang. Gao Qipei, 1672-1734, painted Li Tieguai and a Bat.
Li Tieguai is the most popular of the Eight Taoist Immortals. The lotus is an
important Buddhist motif, symbolizing purity. It is the theme of Two Ducks under
Tall Lotus Leaves and Flowers by Zhu Da, 1626-1705?, Lotus Bowl made out of
porcelaneous stoneware during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) and
a blue glass Bowl Carved with Lotus, Ducks and Rocks from Qianlong's reign. It
is also the decorative motif of a circa 1900 silk gauze Lady's Robe. The forms
in Irene Chan's installation are reminiscent of lotus leaves.
Another
recurring Chinese motif is bamboo, representing perseverance. The earliest
painting in the exhibition is a fourteenth century handscroll Bamboo by Guo Bi,
1301-1355. It is also the subject of Ma Qingxiong's work. Animals are another
important category in traditional Chinese painting. Zhu Wei reconfigures the
image of oxen portrayed in Han Huang's (723-787) famous Five Oxen painting.
Although he employs similar color, form and use of seals, he paints the oxen
larger than life, underscoring their importance as cultural icons. The Chinese
language is integral to the entire exhibition. Historically relevant writings
accompany Bamboo by Guo Bi. In addition to comments by fourteenth century
writers, there is an inscription by the Emperor Qianlong. His seals also appear
on the scroll. The museum also owns Poem, a calligraphy scroll written by
Qianlong. David Hinton is known for his superb translations of ancient Chinese
poetry. This experience informs his own writing, Fossil Sky. Recent collages by
Wei Jia creatively re-interpret traditional calligraphy. In a new way, Lin Yan
draws on the materials of ink and paper used by Chinese artists for centuries.
Zhu Wei utilizes the ancient fine line technique in his twenty-first century art
works.
This show affords the Art Complex Museum an opportunity to share
the quality and variety of its holdings and present new interpretations of the
Chinese nation's artistic heritage. An opening reception is scheduled for
Sunday, October 15, 1:30 until 3:30 pm.
Left: China, Belt Hook with Dragon-head Hook and
Young Dragon Body, Qianlong Period (1736-1795), jadeite
Right: China,
Belt Hook with Dragon-head Hook and Sturgeon Body, Qianlong Period, nephrite
China, Bowl Carved with Lotus, Ducks and Rocks,
Qianlong Period (1736-1795), blue glass
