Time Line, Abstract Art From China

The show presents the work of four of Mainland China’s innovative abstract artists: Chi Qun, Gu Benchi, Jiang Weitao and Liu Wentao. These four artists interpret the “line” in varied ways of repetition, interweaving or layering to create a transcendental space of meditation. Born in the 1970s and 80s, with rigorous academic training or self-teaching, they have all chosen the abstract as their individual art direction. They are not intended to present an absolute idea nor pursue the so-called “significant form” approach theorized by art historian Clive Bell, nor do they move toward complete materialism as minimalism. The creation is rooted in the daily manual process of making the works, using their own being to have a constant dialogue with the object over an extended period of time. Although they are skilled artists, their intent is not to emphasize their skill, nor to deny the handwork involved in the making of their craft. The intent is an unspoken understanding of the physical attributes of the material itself and the artists’ hand in making it.