For Immediate Release
ETHAN COHEN FINE ARTS PRESENTS:
Antiquity Modernity – Breaking Traditions
Artists:
Ai Weiwei, Liu Wei, Naoto Nakagawa, Pan Xing Lei, Qing Qing, and Zhang Hongtu
Ethan Cohen Fine Arts is pleased to present the exhibition “Antiquity Modernity – Breaking Traditions”. The exhibition opens simultaneously with the International Asian Art Fair in New York.
This exhibition involves six artists who are each breaking with their traditions. Pan Xinglei’s modern scroll series appear quite traditional at first glance - Tang Dynasty calligraphy feeling. However, these works are anything but contemporary. Pan does not use ink but instead used plaster to create his calligraphy. Then Pan went on to bomb the canvas with spray paint and concrete dust. The viewer is led to believe that the calligraphy is a some traditional text but on further understanding, the text says “long live coca cola”, and others deal with contemporary issues at hand such as “Make war to make peace”; Pan says, “the first emperor of China Qin and George Bush have a lot in common”.
Qing Qing, also known as Qing Qing Chen, a dynamic female Chinese artist from Beijing shows her wonderfully complex weaving “artificial artifact”. This is a hand woven work of art made from hemp fibers in the form of a Chinese character motif.
Liu Wei, Beijing based artist gives us two examples of his artistic expression both in painting and photography. Liu Wei’s photo of human bodies gives us an impression of a Song dynasty landscape, in the work entitled “It looks like a landscape.” Liu Wei in the painting “Mountain and Water”, gives us modern hip-pop landscape oil painting created on his computer and blown up as an actual oil painting.
Naoto Nakagawa breaks traditions by letting go of his oil painting past, and discovers his connection with Japanese antique sumi-e techniques. Nakagawa, the grandson of Murakami Kagaku, the most important Japanese painter in the early 20th century, finds freedom of his brush, creating timeless paintings of roses and fish.
Zhang Hongtu, New York based artist of Chinese origin, challenges perception of what is Chinese and what is not. What is real, what is fake. Who invented what, and when. In his piece, cover of Christies catalogue in 1991, we are led to believe that this beautiful work of art is a traditional ink painting that was made in early Ming dynasty with 15 collector seals. On closer look, you will see Jackson Pollock’s signature on the bottom of right hand corner. Zhang appropriated this ink drawing to make a point that in Chinese ink tradition, modernism began much earlier. Zhang Hongtu gives us also a refreshing look at six coca-cola bottles made in the Ming dynasty.
Ai Weiwei, the original breaker of tradition in Chinese art, gives us one of his late 1980s iconic conceptual pieces, “One Man Shoe”. He is the person who respects the tradition, thus wants to break it. Ai Weiwei has done this in many examples, most notable is his Ming dynasty table that he breaks in half, and placing two legs on the wall and two legs on the floor.
This exhibition makes us aware of the importance of tradition in Asian Art today.
Ethan Cohen Fine Arts: 18 Jay Street (Tribeca between Hudson and Greenwich)
New York, NY 10013 Tel: 212-625-1250 Fax: 212 -274-1518
Gallery Hours: Tu-Sa 11 a.m.-6 p.m., info@ecfa.com/www.ecfa.com
ETHAN COHEN FINE ARTS PRESENTS:
Antiquity Modernity – Breaking Traditions
Artists:
Ai Weiwei, Liu Wei, Naoto Nakagawa, Pan Xing Lei, Qing Qing, and Zhang Hongtu
Ethan Cohen Fine Arts is pleased to present the exhibition “Antiquity Modernity – Breaking Traditions”. The exhibition opens simultaneously with the International Asian Art Fair in New York.
This exhibition involves six artists who are each breaking with their traditions. Pan Xinglei’s modern scroll series appear quite traditional at first glance - Tang Dynasty calligraphy feeling. However, these works are anything but contemporary. Pan does not use ink but instead used plaster to create his calligraphy. Then Pan went on to bomb the canvas with spray paint and concrete dust. The viewer is led to believe that the calligraphy is a some traditional text but on further understanding, the text says “long live coca cola”, and others deal with contemporary issues at hand such as “Make war to make peace”; Pan says, “the first emperor of China Qin and George Bush have a lot in common”.
Qing Qing, also known as Qing Qing Chen, a dynamic female Chinese artist from Beijing shows her wonderfully complex weaving “artificial artifact”. This is a hand woven work of art made from hemp fibers in the form of a Chinese character motif.
Liu Wei, Beijing based artist gives us two examples of his artistic expression both in painting and photography. Liu Wei’s photo of human bodies gives us an impression of a Song dynasty landscape, in the work entitled “It looks like a landscape.” Liu Wei in the painting “Mountain and Water”, gives us modern hip-pop landscape oil painting created on his computer and blown up as an actual oil painting.
Naoto Nakagawa breaks traditions by letting go of his oil painting past, and discovers his connection with Japanese antique sumi-e techniques. Nakagawa, the grandson of Murakami Kagaku, the most important Japanese painter in the early 20th century, finds freedom of his brush, creating timeless paintings of roses and fish.
Zhang Hongtu, New York based artist of Chinese origin, challenges perception of what is Chinese and what is not. What is real, what is fake. Who invented what, and when. In his piece, cover of Christies catalogue in 1991, we are led to believe that this beautiful work of art is a traditional ink painting that was made in early Ming dynasty with 15 collector seals. On closer look, you will see Jackson Pollock’s signature on the bottom of right hand corner. Zhang appropriated this ink drawing to make a point that in Chinese ink tradition, modernism began much earlier. Zhang Hongtu gives us also a refreshing look at six coca-cola bottles made in the Ming dynasty.
Ai Weiwei, the original breaker of tradition in Chinese art, gives us one of his late 1980s iconic conceptual pieces, “One Man Shoe”. He is the person who respects the tradition, thus wants to break it. Ai Weiwei has done this in many examples, most notable is his Ming dynasty table that he breaks in half, and placing two legs on the wall and two legs on the floor.
This exhibition makes us aware of the importance of tradition in Asian Art today.
Ethan Cohen Fine Arts: 18 Jay Street (Tribeca between Hudson and Greenwich)
New York, NY 10013 Tel: 212-625-1250 Fax: 212 -274-1518
Gallery Hours: Tu-Sa 11 a.m.-6 p.m., info@ecfa.com/www.ecfa.com