JING Shijian: KUNSTWOLLEN
Past exhibition
Press release
The Zen master reveres the slender reeds, yielding gracefully against the snow but never breaking; The poet praises the flowers, fading yet still exuding beauty; The philosopher admires the wisdom of mighty trees that illuminate their soaring spirits. Thus, the inspiration of art emerges along with the will of plants, which some Western scholars describe as "Kunstwollen" (the will of art). A plant is a ‘being-in-itself’, by observing and depicting the forms and appearances of plants and trees, the artist develops his will of art. Akin to the unshakable tranquility of plants and trees, artists struggle in their pursuit of spiritual realm. These are my thoughts on viewing Professor JING Shijian’s solo exhibition "Kunstwollen”.
by FAN Jingzhong
ARARIO GALLERY Shanghai is pleased to announce artist JING Shijian's solo exhibition "Kunstwollen", on view from September 8th to October 21st, 2023. This exhibition encompasses JING 's recent oil paintings and silk works, presenting a clear trail of the artist's hybrid use of artistic language and his ever-evolving creativity.
As one of the representative figures of "New West Lake Painting", JING has always directed his gaze towards the nature of the original. He puts forward the concept of "Art Geography", emphasizing the influence of geography and regional landscape on artists' creations, and focusing on connections between natural scenery, history and culture where art and human converge.
Growing up in northern China and later living in Hangzhou, his works reflect the migration of geographical dimensions and shifting landscapes witnessed over time. This influence is evident in works like "Jianghu（literal meaning river, lake）- 24 Hours" series (“江湖·二十四小时”)and "Hu Zhou (literal meaning river, boat) " series (“湖舟”) , depicting West Lake scenery. He also explored northern plants in the "Pomegranate" and "Poppy" series. More recently, JING has progressed to employing surrealistic techniques to present plants in new ways, aiming to discuss the symbiosis between nature/society and plants/humanity.
The recurring images in JING 's longstanding plant series - namely pomegranate and poppy flowers commonly found in northern China - depart from still-life techniques. Instead, he seeks their natural growth forms to capture the primordial essence of truth. This concept is also exemplified in his silk "Poppy" series, where the elegant, subtle poppies portrayed restore authentic visual and perceptual experiences of their natural state.
Over the decades of his artistic career, JING remains open-minded, never confined to fixed methods. In recent years, his works have revealed colorful evolution - paintings moving from serene brownish-grays into increasingly vibrant tones. Latest plant depictions emphasize a stronger reality-imagination narrative. Using images as anchors, he unfolds associations and imbues spiritual dimension. The work, "Artemis", inspired by ancient Greek worship and reverence for motherly fertility, is created in bold vivid hues symbolizing the abundance of Mother Earth, which is also a tribute to the artist Louise Bourgeois.
As art historian Fan Jingzhong wrote, “A plant is a ‘being-in-itself’, by observing and depicting the forms and appearances of plants and trees, the artist develops his will of art. Akin to the unshakable tranquility of plants and trees, artists struggle in their pursuit of spiritual realm.”Jing Shijian's journey starts depicting plant existences, gradually approaching the soul realm. His works bear nature's traces while containing profound spiritual essence, unifying self with the world. It ultimately becomes a way of observing and caring for all aspects of life through deeper contemplation of the reality in which we are all embedded.
Works
