Opening Reception: Thursday, Jan 8, 6 – 8 PM
522 West 19th Street, New York
For both painters, nature is the source of inspiration, although they approach it from widely different perspectives. Shi Jing is inspired by views of the world from outer space, by vast perspectives, mountain ranges and impressive landscapes, but is reluctant to approach these themes in a traditional way. Wu Didi, on the other hand, focuses on the constituent parts of the natural world: weeds, stones, and insects, for example, and paints them in minute detail on blank canvases. The dialogue between the two artists is a stimulating one.
Shi Jing has evolved a painterly method that evokes the surprise we experience each time we see nature in all its majesty. At first glance his paintings appear to be monochromatic, whether white or black, but as the spectator changes his or her position, planets, mountains, majestic buildings and sometimes human faces gradually appear and disappear. Achieved through minute changes in the direction and thickness of his brushstrokes, these mirage-like visions are deeply meaningful, providing insights into the impermanence of human life and the passing of time. For the current exhibition, Shi Jing has painted a new series of white canvases in which the inspiration is not so much nature itself as it is nature perceived through Chinese landscape painting.
In complete contrast are the poetic nature studies of Wu Didi in which the absence of context leads to concentration on the specificities of natural forms that are generally overlooked. In this case, her focus is on bamboo. She has written of her quest to investigate the nature of bamboo through actions such as breaking, twisting and bending and wishing to convey its toughness and resilience. Further emphasizing the strength of the bamboo are the insects that add motion to her otherwise static compositions.
Both artists approach Chinese traditions and themes, whether landscape in the case of Shi Jing or motifs such as bamboo and insects in the case of Wu Didi, in a highly personal manner that shows the continuing appeal of this time-honored subject matter.
Shi Jing was born in Dehongzhou, Yunnan province in 1971. He lives and works between Beijing and Yunnan. Chambers Fine Art has been working with the artist for the past six years with works included in Blog It: New Wave of New Wave (2008 Chambers Beijing, Chambers New York) and Dream Or Reality-Chinese Art Today (2008 Amsterdam). Shi Jing has been widely exhibited in China including a solo show in the Today Art Museum (2009) and the Nanjing and the Guizhou Triennials (both 2008). Internationally, his work appeared in China Now, ESSL COLLECTION, Vienna (2006), Grounding Reality, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea (2005) and Mahjong: Contemporary Chinese Art from the Sigg Collection, Kunstmuseum Bern, Cologne, Germany.
Wu Didi was born in Chong Qing in 1976. She graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts High School in 1996, and received her BA degree from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. In 2004, she earned her Master’s Degree from CAFA Oil Painting Department. She currently teaches at the Central Academy of Dramatic Art.
