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Liu Xiaocheng "Sun Lights Incense Burner Peak, Kindling Violet Smoke"
Tokyo Gallery + BTAP
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Liu Xiaocheng
Tokyo Gallery + BTAP is pleased to announce that it is holding "Sun lights Incense Burner peak, kindling violet smoke" a solo exhibition by Liu Xiaocheng. This exhibition will present 11 works, incorporating the "Breath" series that he has been working on since 2004, as well as "Diamond Sutra", a set of unfinished work.
Liu Xiaocheng was born in 1963, in Jilin province, China. Following his graduation from the Jilin College of Arts in 1984, he moved to Beijing, although this marked the beginning of a period of hardship for him. After experimenting with a variety of different styles, he came to be a part of the Yunmingyuan Artist Village that advocates idealism in art. Unfortunately this coincided with the demolition of that village, which provided the impetus for his turn to a self-defensive rejection of reality in his work. In 2000, after becoming a priest at a Buddhist temple in Hangzhou, his work changed completely: the energetic use of color that he had employed until then was wiped away in favor of subject matter imbued with a sense of calm and tranquility. After relocating to Beijing once more, he started to produce works that convey his belief in Buddhism. By painting the canvas using traditional oil painting techniques and then adding another layer of oil paint on top, Liu creates blurry images that do not lend themselves to easy interpretation from the viewer. One could say that the flatness of his painting technique, which appears to completely deny the past, is based on Liu Xiaocheng's personal religious experiences.
In the "Breathing" series, the smoke that is emanating from the bodies of those depicted can be interpreted as the moment of sublimation of the human spirit. The smoke fuses reality and fantasy and is at once a physical and spiritual trace of the 'soul'. The title "Diamond Sutra" is taken from Buddhist scriptures and is indicates a kind of 'void' in which "all phenomena are devoid of meaning; they exist just as they are." Liu says that the "Diamond Sutra" series is a reference to these sacred words.
Words are signs, tools for communication and the transmission of ideas. However, with the development of logical thought, is it not the case that we are creating a stage in which we are trapped by those very words? Words lead us into all manner of preconceptions and misconceptions, which like a rising fog, cloud over our ability to see things as they really are. Liu Xiaocheng's work is an attempt to present the viewer with questions about this state of affairs.
The exhibition title "Sun lights Incense Burner peak, kindling violet smoke" is taken from a poem by Tang dynasty poet Li Bai (known as Rihaku in Japan), and the original Chinese characters form a series of components that convey what the artist would like to express in his first exhibition in Japan.
Full title: Sun lights Incense Burner Peak, Kindling Violet Smoke
Sun Lights: implies a country from where the sun originates, hence to hold an exhibition in Japan.
Incense Burner Peak: refers to lighting incense, holding a service for the Buddha and things that are essential to Buddhist services.
Kindling Violet Smoke: the aura of someone shrouded in smoke.
Liu Xiaocheng was born in 1963, in Jilin province, China. Following his graduation from the Jilin College of Arts in 1984, he moved to Beijing, although this marked the beginning of a period of hardship for him. After experimenting with a variety of different styles, he came to be a part of the Yunmingyuan Artist Village that advocates idealism in art. Unfortunately this coincided with the demolition of that village, which provided the impetus for his turn to a self-defensive rejection of reality in his work. In 2000, after becoming a priest at a Buddhist temple in Hangzhou, his work changed completely: the energetic use of color that he had employed until then was wiped away in favor of subject matter imbued with a sense of calm and tranquility. After relocating to Beijing once more, he started to produce works that convey his belief in Buddhism. By painting the canvas using traditional oil painting techniques and then adding another layer of oil paint on top, Liu creates blurry images that do not lend themselves to easy interpretation from the viewer. One could say that the flatness of his painting technique, which appears to completely deny the past, is based on Liu Xiaocheng's personal religious experiences.
In the "Breathing" series, the smoke that is emanating from the bodies of those depicted can be interpreted as the moment of sublimation of the human spirit. The smoke fuses reality and fantasy and is at once a physical and spiritual trace of the 'soul'. The title "Diamond Sutra" is taken from Buddhist scriptures and is indicates a kind of 'void' in which "all phenomena are devoid of meaning; they exist just as they are." Liu says that the "Diamond Sutra" series is a reference to these sacred words.
Words are signs, tools for communication and the transmission of ideas. However, with the development of logical thought, is it not the case that we are creating a stage in which we are trapped by those very words? Words lead us into all manner of preconceptions and misconceptions, which like a rising fog, cloud over our ability to see things as they really are. Liu Xiaocheng's work is an attempt to present the viewer with questions about this state of affairs.
The exhibition title "Sun lights Incense Burner peak, kindling violet smoke" is taken from a poem by Tang dynasty poet Li Bai (known as Rihaku in Japan), and the original Chinese characters form a series of components that convey what the artist would like to express in his first exhibition in Japan.
Full title: Sun lights Incense Burner Peak, Kindling Violet Smoke
Sun Lights: implies a country from where the sun originates, hence to hold an exhibition in Japan.
Incense Burner Peak: refers to lighting incense, holding a service for the Buddha and things that are essential to Buddhist services.
Kindling Violet Smoke: the aura of someone shrouded in smoke.
Schedule | May 21 (Wed) 2008-Jun 14 (Sat) 2008 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Tokyo Gallery + BTAP http://www.tokyo-gallery.com/  | ||||
| Location | 7F, 8-10-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 | ||||
| Access | 4 minute walk from the Ginza exit of JR Shimbashi Station. 5 minute walk from exit A3 at Ginza Station on the Ginza, Hibiya and Marunouchi lines. 5 minute walk from exit 5 at Shiodome Station on the Toei Oedo or Yurikamome line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3571-1808 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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