The woman lying on the couch(2018)Painting by Jianxing Li
Art Without Borders: Artistic Innovation from Asia
The art of East and Southeast Asia, characterized by a wide range of styles and techniques that have evolved over centuries, captures a multitude of interpretations ranging from revisiting ancient traditions to the most modern forms of artistic expression. Countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia each contribute their unique cultural and historical influences, significantly shaping and continuing to enrich the global art scene.
In today's artistic landscape, these nations prove to be fertile ground for innovation and experimentation with both traditional and modern media. Japanese artists like Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama, along with Chinese masters like Ai Weiwei and his powerful artistic activism, are just some of the names that have achieved international fame. Joining them are Southeast Asian photographer Dinh Q. Lê, known for his works exploring collective memory and identity, and visual artist Arahmaiani, whose art primarily focuses on social issues.
It is now time to dive into the works of ten painters and sculptors on Artmajeur, whose artistic experimentation is redefining what it means to be an Asian artist in the contemporary scene, with pioneering approaches you won't find elsewhere in the art world.
SLOW DOWN V (2020)Painting by Bin Xu
Serenic Dialogues: The Ethereal World of Xu Bin
Born in 1969 in Guang'an, Sichuan province, China, Xu Bin has channeled his artistic existence into a continual experimentation infused with innovation and virtuosity. After earning his degree from the Department of Fine Arts at Southwest Normal University, Xu honed his craft primarily in oil painting, drawing inspiration from the vivid palettes of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism masters such as Monet and Seurat. Over time, he skillfully interpreted the examples set by modernist icons like Matisse, Picasso, Dalí, and Chagall, blending them with influences from Chinese figurative traditions. It is from this confluence of diverse trends that his most peculiar and mature artistic voice emerged.
Xu Bin's repertoire is a kaleidoscope of intense colors, as if filtered through a veil of dreams, with frequent use of pink and purple hues for backgrounds and the skin of his figures. Greens and blues also emerge strongly, accentuating the ethereal aura of his creations. His figures carry distinctive traits, almost mask-like, featuring large mouths and long noses, often accompanied by exaggerated body proportions. Each character, drawn from a dreamlike and unprecedented world, appears to navigate between the floating and the tangibly real.
Xu's works, besides capturing the elegance of the figures portrayed in various contexts, sometimes also promote reflections on pressing social themes and cultural metamorphoses, acting as mirrors of the present as well as windows onto futuristic visions of life and technology. Each piece, regardless of the themes it addresses, presents itself as an ode to elegance, refinement, and uniqueness, demonstrating Xu Bin's constant commitment to shaping an art that is both reflective and personal.
"Slow down V" exemplifies the painter's distinctive style: the composition, with its vibrant and dreamy colors, depicts a woman lying on a cliff, immersed in a serene and tranquil environment. Beside her, a thoughtful bird perches as if it were intently listening to her words. The woman and the bird appear to be engaging in dialogue, creating an intimate and contemplative atmosphere. In the background, a boat floats on the sea, completing the scene with a sense of calm and stillness, almost as if time had stopped.
But what might the woman and the bird be discussing? Perhaps love, given the intimacy and serenity that pervade the scene? We cannot know for sure, but the delicate atmosphere and their gently thoughtful demeanor lead us to think that it could indeed be about love.
Aoi Song, the wheel. Painting by Ma Guo Dong
The Dualism of Imagination: Comparing Bin Xu and Ma Guo Dong
The comparison between Bin Xu's "Slow down V" and Ma Guo Dong's "Aoi Song, the wheel" highlights two unique and distinct artistic worlds, where both painters shape characters drawn from their imagination. While Bin Xu transports us to a dreamlike and parallel universe, Ma Guo Dong seems to narrate episodes reminiscent of tales or "comic strip vignettes." Moreover, although Ma Guo Dong, like Bin Xu, uses vibrant colors, he pursues a more narrative, concrete, dynamic, lively, and adventurous approach, aimed at taking shape through the creation of an aesthetic that blends cultural symbolism with contemporary visual language.
Nonetheless, both artists manage to infuse their creations with deep meanings, so much so that the comparison between Bin Xu and Ma Guo Dong reveals two different but complementary approaches to artistic creation, where imagination is the common thread between visual experiences and reflections on reality.
Lastly, regarding Ma Guo Dong, the contemporary Chinese painter known for his unique and vibrant creations, he graduated from the Department of Artistic Design at Taishan Medical College, Taian City (China). Through his distinctive style and Chinese cultural references, he explores themes of life, light, and hope, imparting deep meanings and vitality to his works. His art, also characterized by the fusion and integration of symbolic elements, has been exhibited on various occasions and collected by galleries and internationally renowned artists.
The frog(2016)Sculpture by Dongbeom
ODE TO GALLANTRY (2022)Sculpture by Zhao Yongchang
Animal Subjects in Contemporary Sculpture: A Comparison between Dongbeom Lee and Zhao Yongchang
The sculptural tradition of East and Southeast Asia has deep roots and has developed over the centuries, maintaining a strong connection with symbolism and spirituality. Today, this heritage continues to influence contemporary artists who blend traditional techniques with new forms of expression. Emblematic examples of such art are the works of Dongbeom Lee and Zhao Yongchang: "The Frog" and "Ode to Gallantry." Both sculptures depict animals in ways that reflect the distinct visions and cultural influences of the artists.
Starting with "The Frog" by Dongbeom Lee, the work uses a geometric figure with colors reminiscent of Mondrian, conceived to "trap" and support an animal within it, transforming it into a sculpture with a base. The frog is positioned with its head lower than its body, as if it had been "captured" in the act of diving into a pond. This arrangement creates a strong bond with the stone support, suggesting a dynamic interaction between form and the natural-animal element, also prompting reflection on the balance between artificial and natural.
On the other hand, Zhao Yongchang's sculpture "Ode to Gallantry" explores another type of "interlocking": that between the body of a boy and a horse-dragon. In this work, the large animal submits to the human figure, alluding to mythological tales where often the beast's strength and courage yield to the rationality and justice of humans. The scene thus captures a dynamic and powerful moment, reflecting age-old themes of heroism and adventure.
It then becomes evident how, in both works, the choice to depict animals with their heads lower than their bodies was not only intended to create a visual connection with the environmental element of belonging but also to stimulate a deeper reflection, aimed at making us question the actual role of living beings in the context in which they operate. This culminates in reflections intended to make us think dualistically about the opposition of natural and artificial, strength and wisdom, and freedom and control.
UNCONDITIONED NEED FOR HARMONY (2013)Painting by Nomin
DAUGHTER OF CHINESE NOBILITY (2023)Painting by Huixi Yu
YU003 (2023)Painting by Hang
Female Portraits: A Comparison between Mongolia and China
To compare three Asian artists from Mongolia and China, I chose to examine their corpus of works on female subjects, contrasting their different approaches to the subject matter. This comparison sheds light on the distinctive techniques and cultural visions of Nomin, Huixi Yu, and Hang, offering a rich and nuanced overview of the representation of women in contemporary art.
Starting with the Mongolian artist Nomin Bold, who uses a personal interpretation of Surrealism to depict a dual female portrait ("Unconditioned need for harmony", 2013), likely intended to allude to the dualism of good and evil. The two figures, one red with horns and the other blue with a halo, are richly detailed and decorated with fanciful figures, conveying a light, friendly, and carefree flavor. Importantly, it is the upright position and symmetry of the two depicted that exudes a sense of balance and harmony, despite the highlighted contrast between their opposing natures.
The Chinese artist Huixi Yu presents an expressionist vision titled "Daughter of Chinese nobility", which reproduces the features of a woman from his country's past tradition. This is achieved through a combination of acrylic paints, acrylic markers, and oil painting, art media that also take peculiar linear forms, especially arranged around the neck and face of the model, evoking the presence of similar "fabric filaments." Lastly, the standing figure, portrayed with an attitude of grace and reserve, leaves the "minimalist" nature of the setting open to the observer's interpretation.
Hang's work "Yu003", also a Chinese artist, adopts an "expressionist" approach, where the female figure is divided into color fields, intended to create a mosaic-like effect. This type of representation, partly akin to cubism, serves to reflect the inner world of the subject, rendering it with shapes and colors capable of evoking hidden emotions and thoughts. Unlike the other two works, the woman is depicted lying down, in a well-defined indoor environment. This contrast in posture and context highlights a moment of greater intimacy and vulnerability, clearly intended to offer a more personal and introspective view of the female figure.
I, me (2022)Painting by Jianxing Li
Chinese Realism and the Art of Jianxing Li
Jianxing Li's work "I, me" is a captivating depiction of two boys sitting on chairs, dressed in sportswear, in a school setting. The painting captures a moment of quiet introspection, made even more intense by the masterful use of realistic color and meticulously detailed composition. The boys' serious and thoughtful faces exude a depth of thought that invites the viewer to reflect. The symmetrical arrangement of their postures, combined with the orderly surrounding environment, suggests a sense of harmony and tranquility. Jianxing Li uses soft tones and diffused light to create a serene and contemplative atmosphere, almost as if time had paused to allow these youths to immerse themselves in their thoughts.
But where does this careful approach to the verisimilitude of the pictorial subject originate? To understand this, we must look to the rich heritage of Chinese realism, a tradition deeply rooted in the country's artistic history. This style is often characterized by a detailed and precise depiction of daily life and human experiences, which has seen significant popularity and concrete development in the 20th century. Indeed, influenced by European masters, Chinese artists have gradually developed a unique visual language that blends traditional elements with modern techniques, creating works that faithfully reflect contemporary culture and society.
Highlighting some famous examples: painter Liu Xiaodong produces paintings that capture moments of everyday life, often exploring themes of social and cultural change; Chen Yifei is renowned for his realistic portraits and landscapes, characterized by great attention to detail and masterful use of light; and Wang Yidong, who focuses on rural and traditional themes, uses detailed realism to explore the beauty of simple life. Thus, these artists, including the aforementioned Jianxing Li, contribute to keeping Chinese realism vibrant and dynamic.
In the middle of life4(2023)Painting by Lu Shou Hui
ASSYMETRY OF NATURE (2022)Painting by Shuren
Chinese and Mongolian Abstract Art
Abstract art in China and Mongolia has followed distinct paths, reflecting the different cultural and historical traditions of each country. In China, the movement began to develop seriously in the 20th century, drawing from European avant-gardes, although its roots can be traced back to ink painting techniques of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. In Mongolia, however, abstraction is a more recent phenomenon, although the country's artistic tradition, influenced by nomadism and Buddhism, has always favored a symbolic and stylized representation of reality. It was only in the 1990s, with the end of the communist regime and Mongolia's opening to the world, that Mongolian artists began experimenting with new forms of expression, including abstraction.
Regarding the painters of Artmajeur, "In the middle of life4" by Lu Shou Hui, part of the "Middle Age" series, is an abstract and symbolic representation of the challenges of middle age. In fact, the artist explains how the process of creating the painting was similar to manipulating a piece of clay. On this surface, hands leave deep and permanent imprints, intended to symbolize the invisible forces that shape the passage of time on a person's skin. Similarly, the scars and deformations of the clay also represent the anxieties, helplessness, and pain that characterize the latter phase of life.
In terms of technique, Lu Shou Hui uses traditional Chinese painting tools, such as brush and ink, which he combines with elements of Western abstract expressionism, such as the rainbow lines of the composition. However, it is impossible to overlook the presence of needles, which pierce through the forms, metaphorizing once again the anxiety, despair, and pain that often besiege middle-aged people.
"Asymmetry of Nature" by Shuren, on the other hand, depicts a stylized nude in a symmetric alignment with nature, where the female human body appears somehow "different" or, to be more precise, abstract. Shuren, a contemporary Mongolian painter, is known for her passion for portraying women, capturing the beauty and depth of their souls. Her early works often depicted rotund female figures, imbued with a sense of strength, despite their sad and distant eyes.
Recently, however, Shuren's style has evolved towards a more colorful and joyful view of life, where women convey a message of resilience and ephemeral beauty, suggesting that, although they may experience moments of intense turmoil, serenity will always return.
It is evident that both works explore profound themes through the use of abstraction, yet address quite different viewpoints and issues. These approaches, though distinct, are complementary, as they reflect various aspects of the human experience on earth.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
| ArtMajeur Magazine
