Yang Shu, Qi Lan, Tu Hongtao and Li Qing are four Chinese artists born between the 1960s and 1980s, who have been jointly influenced by both Eastern and Western art throughout their painting studies, which in turn has shaped their respective paths through an exploration and fusion of styles, marked by collision and self-reflection. Under the concept of "Polyphonic Writing'' which presents multiple dialogues in conjunction, the exhibition focuses on the exploration of the language of contemporary painting from these four artists, that center around expressing the independence of the self, yet also being in dialogue amongst themselves.
On one hand, "Lyrical Expressions" points to expression through painting that is colored by the self, and pursues an emotional narrative and intuitive expression through artistic practices. In Yang Shu's works, the composition of color and brush strokes evokes a style that is graffiti-like and similar to an impromptu music session, vivid and vibrant the colors give off a naive sense of unfeigned expression; in Qi Lan's paintings, the textures produced by the painterly gestures and rhythm of Chinese painting, can be seen as a constant and in-depth exchange or even a defense between the artist’s "self" and "classical" contexts.
"Written Expressions" on the other side focuses on objective and detached rational thinking, further polishing the artist's external observations, and reflecting it in painting. Tu Hongtao's works create a multi-dimensional and complex spatial relationship between highly abstract images, where the superposition of different time and space segments is "collapsed" into a plane of "the moment", which is captured through the use of ample materials and broad brush stroke textures; while Li Qing's paintings are adept at capturing the subtle rational cracks that exist in our daily space and images, where an “observational” relationship is constructed between the self and others through similar and contradictory works of art.
The Guangdong Museum of Art looks to explore the multiple dialogues between the noumenal languages of painting through this exhibition, and aims to present a polyphonic tune consisting of paintings to the public.
