Contemporary Chinese Ink on Paper

Klein Sun Gallery is pleased to present "Contemporary Chinese Ink on Paper,” an exhibition featuring new works by Li Jin, Liu Qinghe, Wang Jinsong, Wei Dong, Wu Yi and Zhu Wei.

The artists gathered in this exhibition have a distinct rationale for choosing ink. It goes without saying that the medium holds very particular connotations. For a general audience, Chinese ink painting means elegant calligraphy and profoundly subtle landscapes. It suggests moral overtones, and often represents a mythic Chinese proximity to the spiritual. This show has gathered artists who, to different degrees, exploit the classic nature of the genre known as ‘ink painting,’ and who create visually engaging and often humorous works of art.

For some artists, the sentimentality of traditional ink painting is a spark for their sardonic wit. Li Jin mythologizes the everyday in a series of works. Referencing the illustrations of traditional Chinese literature, he replaces the heroic journeys of antiquity with irreverent anecdotes about domestic life. Wu Yi also subverts the romance of tradition, whose quiet, novel scenes belie darker themes that hint at revolutionary politics.