Creation of the Inner Realm
Ming Gu Gallery is pleased to present its inaugural exhibition, introducing two talented artists from China to the British audience.
Creation of the Inner Realm marks a long overdue introduction of a new generation of Chinese artists mastering century-old techniques dated back in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), rarely encountered outside of collections held by leading museums.
Among these are WANG Jie and WU Yin who both demonstrate fantastic craftsmanship. Inspired by ancient philosophy and notions relating to the artist’s subjective worldview, they depict landscapes or scenarios drawn from nature with a surrealist twist.
Documenting artistic journeys over various timescales, Creation of the Inner Realm is a hint at the Buddhist notion of existence as transient, thought of as a prevailing state of flux. Besides bringing past practices in the form of techniques into reflections of a contemporary China, the works of art on show have been selected for their celebration of imagination, a faculty allowed to dominate much of representation in arts throughout the long history of China.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an essay by Dr Wenny Teo, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, at The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London.
WU Yin
B. Sichuan, China, 2000
Wu infuses his love for nature and animals into his creation, engaging with a wide range of inspirations such as work of Klimt and cave paintings from prehistoric times. He uses the traditional rendering technique in Chinese paintings to express the shapes of primitive animals and in the meantime apply burning and tissue paper overlay to create a texture that cannot be found in the past.
Having graduated from Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Wu has developed an expressive brushwork that is rooted in the classical "freehand" style. Furthermore, this brushwork allows him to solidify his imagination of the passage of time on the xuan paper, offering viewers space for their interpretation.
Wu Yin now lives and works in Beijing, China. He received a BA from Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, China in 2022. He has participated in five group exhibitions since 2019.
WANG Jie
B. Hunan, China, 1996
Wang Jie's landscape is rooted in Jiangnan (江南，south of Huai River, China) Landscape Style developed from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), using experimental ink techniques to reconstruct the ideal scenery in his mind. It is an expression of his aesthetic pursuit and inner self, aiming to depict the most pure and harmonious inner beauty of nature. In his paintings, the artist strives to create a free and mysterious space, making it both visually appealing and inviting for exploration, forming a natural world of its own, and revealing the infinite within the finite. As viewers immerse themselves in his art, they can reach the end of the water, sit and watch the clouds rise, feeling carefree and unbounded.
Wang received a BA from Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, China in 2019 and a Master’s degree in Chinese Painting from the same university in 2022. He now lives and works in Changde, China.
