Ravine of Lines
Oct 21 - Nov 26, 2023
Oct 21 - Nov 26, 2023
Press Release
Ravine of Lines
2023.10.21-2023.11.26
Gu Xiaoping /Li Xiangyang /Zhou Yangming /Ma Sibo /Xu Hongming /Xu Xiaoguo
Whitebox Art Center
According the Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the vision of a painter possesses a “passivity that lies in the mystery,” a mystery that’s concealed in the depth of the ravines. The first lines drawn on the walls of caves announced the dawn of human civilization. The ravine does not merely represent the partial part of nature but bridges the self-existing and the spirituality. The Ravine of Lines expands itself into the realm of lines. Through the abstraction of lines and color fields of six artists, with lines as the visible image and color fields as the concealed image, the exhibition showcases a harmony between lines and planes, attempting to reconcile the opposing dichotomy between the appearance of existence and the perception of spirituality.
This exhibition begins with probing the intricate visual relationship between the line and the color field. On Gu Xiaoping’s abstract canvases, a superimposition of lines proliferates, as the traces of rationality are undoubtedly the result of the artist’s meticulous planning, revealing a formalist approach that builds upon the language of Eastern ink and wash techniques. Contrasting with that tranquil visual tension, Li Xiangyang employs an overwhelming palette and orderly brushwork, in which the visual is perceived only when the palette is merged with the content. The intertextual interplay between the order, form, and structure of lines reflects Zhou Yangming's praise for everyday experience and empirical intuition. The paintings of Xu Hongming defy categorical definition. The wandering strokes, loose lines, and formal structure work to reveal the materiality of his works, and the color fields his paint engendered, take effect in the void. Xu Xiaoguo’s Flower sits between the visual languages of figuration and abstraction, the instinctive abstraction that originates within his practice returns to figuration by projecting his perception on the two-dimensional canvas. The distance between the viewer and the mirror scene created by Ma Sibo, the realism of the contours, the abstraction of the sense of light, and the dreamy and lost image suggest that the viewer is going back and forth between the polar fields of the body and the consciousness.
WhiteBox Art Center is pleased to present “Ravine of Lines,” a group exhibition that brings together the works of six artists, which opens on October 21, 2023. The exhibition will run through November 26, 2023.
2023.10.21-2023.11.26
Gu Xiaoping /Li Xiangyang /Zhou Yangming /Ma Sibo /Xu Hongming /Xu Xiaoguo
Whitebox Art Center
According the Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the vision of a painter possesses a “passivity that lies in the mystery,” a mystery that’s concealed in the depth of the ravines. The first lines drawn on the walls of caves announced the dawn of human civilization. The ravine does not merely represent the partial part of nature but bridges the self-existing and the spirituality. The Ravine of Lines expands itself into the realm of lines. Through the abstraction of lines and color fields of six artists, with lines as the visible image and color fields as the concealed image, the exhibition showcases a harmony between lines and planes, attempting to reconcile the opposing dichotomy between the appearance of existence and the perception of spirituality.
This exhibition begins with probing the intricate visual relationship between the line and the color field. On Gu Xiaoping’s abstract canvases, a superimposition of lines proliferates, as the traces of rationality are undoubtedly the result of the artist’s meticulous planning, revealing a formalist approach that builds upon the language of Eastern ink and wash techniques. Contrasting with that tranquil visual tension, Li Xiangyang employs an overwhelming palette and orderly brushwork, in which the visual is perceived only when the palette is merged with the content. The intertextual interplay between the order, form, and structure of lines reflects Zhou Yangming's praise for everyday experience and empirical intuition. The paintings of Xu Hongming defy categorical definition. The wandering strokes, loose lines, and formal structure work to reveal the materiality of his works, and the color fields his paint engendered, take effect in the void. Xu Xiaoguo’s Flower sits between the visual languages of figuration and abstraction, the instinctive abstraction that originates within his practice returns to figuration by projecting his perception on the two-dimensional canvas. The distance between the viewer and the mirror scene created by Ma Sibo, the realism of the contours, the abstraction of the sense of light, and the dreamy and lost image suggest that the viewer is going back and forth between the polar fields of the body and the consciousness.
WhiteBox Art Center is pleased to present “Ravine of Lines,” a group exhibition that brings together the works of six artists, which opens on October 21, 2023. The exhibition will run through November 26, 2023.
Curator Article
Ravine of Lines
According the Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the vision of a painter possesses a “passivity that lies in the mystery,” a mystery that’s concealed in the depth of the ravines. The first lines drawn on the walls of caves announced the dawn of human civilization. The ravine does not merely represent the partial part of nature but bridges the self-existing and the spirituality. The Ravine of Lines expands itself into the realm of lines. Through the abstraction of lines and color fields of six artists, with lines as the visible image and color fields as the concealed image, the exhibition showcases a harmony between lines and planes, attempting to reconcile the opposing dichotomy between the appearance of existence and the perception of spirituality.
This exhibition begins with probing the intricate visual relationship between the line and the color field. On Gu Xiaoping’s abstract canvases, a superimposition of lines proliferates, as the traces of rationality are undoubtedly the result of the artist’s meticulous planning, revealing a formalist approach that builds upon the language of Eastern ink and wash techniques. Contrasting with that tranquil visual tension, Li Xiangyang employs an overwhelming palette and orderly brushwork, in which the visual is perceived only when the palette is merged with the content. The intertextual interplay between the order, form, and structure of lines reflects Zhou Yangming's praise for everyday experience and empirical intuition. The paintings of Xu Hongming defy categorical definition. The wandering strokes, loose lines, and formal structure work to reveal the materiality of his works, and the color fields his paint engendered, take effect in the void. Xu Xiaoguo’s Flower sits between the visual languages of figuration and abstraction, the instinctive abstraction that originates within his practice returns to figuration by projecting his perception on the two-dimensional canvas. The distance between the viewer and the mirror scene created by Ma Sibo, the realism of the contours, the abstraction of the sense of light, and the dreamy and lost image suggest that the viewer is going back and forth between the polar fields of the body and the consciousness.
According the Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the vision of a painter possesses a “passivity that lies in the mystery,” a mystery that’s concealed in the depth of the ravines. The first lines drawn on the walls of caves announced the dawn of human civilization. The ravine does not merely represent the partial part of nature but bridges the self-existing and the spirituality. The Ravine of Lines expands itself into the realm of lines. Through the abstraction of lines and color fields of six artists, with lines as the visible image and color fields as the concealed image, the exhibition showcases a harmony between lines and planes, attempting to reconcile the opposing dichotomy between the appearance of existence and the perception of spirituality.
This exhibition begins with probing the intricate visual relationship between the line and the color field. On Gu Xiaoping’s abstract canvases, a superimposition of lines proliferates, as the traces of rationality are undoubtedly the result of the artist’s meticulous planning, revealing a formalist approach that builds upon the language of Eastern ink and wash techniques. Contrasting with that tranquil visual tension, Li Xiangyang employs an overwhelming palette and orderly brushwork, in which the visual is perceived only when the palette is merged with the content. The intertextual interplay between the order, form, and structure of lines reflects Zhou Yangming's praise for everyday experience and empirical intuition. The paintings of Xu Hongming defy categorical definition. The wandering strokes, loose lines, and formal structure work to reveal the materiality of his works, and the color fields his paint engendered, take effect in the void. Xu Xiaoguo’s Flower sits between the visual languages of figuration and abstraction, the instinctive abstraction that originates within his practice returns to figuration by projecting his perception on the two-dimensional canvas. The distance between the viewer and the mirror scene created by Ma Sibo, the realism of the contours, the abstraction of the sense of light, and the dreamy and lost image suggest that the viewer is going back and forth between the polar fields of the body and the consciousness.
Installation View
Artworks
Media Report