Closing Soon: Xiangdong Chen The Infusion of Ink and Clay |
|
|
Don't miss your last chance to experience this historic exhibition! The Infusion of Ink and Clay closes Saturday, September 21. Xiangdong Chen is widely recognized as one of the first contemporary artists to master the combination of ink and porcelain. Chen has painstakingly developed a process that begins with a careful selection of clay and continues through the firing process to produce a body of work that simultaneously reveals a novel combination of media and references ancient techniques. He has mastered the delicate dance between these two unwieldy media and strikes a balance between the elements he can control and what he leaves to chance during the firing process. |
|
|
Chen’s series of ink paintings also depict symbols of traditional Chinese ink painting through more recent concepts. Ranging from small works on paper to large scale, multi-panel pieces, Chen paints lotus flowers and other natural elements, such as mountains or rocks, to express his internal meditations just as ancient Chinese artists would paint imagined scenes of nature to reflect convey emotion and poetic musings. When describing Free Will - At One’s Wish (2018), Chen notes: “This ink mountain is not a particular place or mountain, it is a mountain in my heart. The mountain has a special meaning to me. It represents masculine and feminine, power and beauty.” |
|
|
Xiangdong Chen was born in Nantong, China in 1963, where he attended Nantong University - School of Fine Arts. After graduating from Nantong University in 1987, Chen moved on to continue his studies at the Print Program of Nanjing Academy, completing his program in 1991. From 1989 to today, Chen has continued to refine his practice, making him one of the most prominent international Chinese print artists of our century. He is currently based in New York, NY. Chen is a member of the China Artists Association, the China Association of Print Artists, and the Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA). His work can be found in numerous collections, including the National Art Museum of China, Jiangsu Museum of Art, Amerasia Bank, United Nations, Si Chuan Divine Printmaking Museum and Taiwan Tainan Museum, Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan, National Taiwan Normal University, and the Nanjing Arts Institute. |
|
|
Featured images, from top: Xiangdong Chen, Water Lily Presents - The Essence, 2017, © Xiangdong Chen. Xiangdong Chen, The Highest Respect, 2019, © Xiangdong Chen, featured on the cover of Art Market Magazine Issue #44. Installation image of Xiangdong Chen, The Prosperous Water Lily, 2018, © Xiangdong Chen. |
|
|
|
|
