Newman Huo

SHENZHEN artist Dong Xiaoming wants to show Chinese and foreign art lovers the spirit and charm of traditional Chinese ink painting through new media such as copper or steel sheet and calligraphic installations.

A new medium art exhibition, featuring experimental works by Dong, is being staged in Shenzhen Fine Art Institute until April 25.

In answer to some Chinese viewers’ question of whether his recent works can still be categorized as Chinese ink paintings, Dong’s answer is a firm “no.”

“They are only contemporary art experiments in which I’ve tried to present the spirit and charm of traditional Chinese ink painting,” Dong said recently.

“In other words, Chinese ink painting itself has become the main theme or content that I want to present with new media,” he said.

Titled “A Small Pond,” the works on display include 13 lotus blossoms on copper or steel sheet, as well as a calligraphic installation.

According to Dong, the exhibition’s title is taken from the poem, “Thoughts on Study,” by Zhu Xi, a Chinese scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

The poem reads, “A small pond, yet its waters glint like a mirror./How can the water, which sits in one place, remain so clear?/Because there is always fresh water flowing in.”

The poem is a metaphor for Zhu’s belief that one should never stop reading because a person can always learn something new whenever he opens a book.

Zhu encourages people to read widely and deeply, because only with profound and precise knowledge can one think clearly and act with the greatest effect.

The 13 lotus blossoms employ the technique of etching on copper or steel sheets, which are made into principal forms of traditional Chinese painting, such as a fan surface and vertical or horizontal scrolls.

The installation includes a calligraphic work written by Dong based on Zhu’s poem, which is projected onto the floor covered with small, white cobblestones, and accompanied by the repeated playing of the sound of flowing water.

Zuo Hanqiao, 62, a Beijing-based artist and retired art editor of Being Fine Arts and Photography Publishing House, said he was very impressed with Dong’s experimental art works after viewing the exhibition April 15.

“Dong’s works are a bold and creative combination of traditional elements of Chinese ink painting and new media,” Zuo said.

“The exquisite etching effect on copper or steel sheet show an elegant contrast with the coarse texture of the copper or steel sheet, giving viewers a strong sense of modern art,” he said.

As for the calligraphic installation, Zuo believes Dong has successfully placed the flowing lines of Chinese calligraphy into a life-like environment which includes the image and sounds of flowing water.

“The white cobblestones have not only enhanced the feeling of three-dimensional space but also give a sense of returning to nature,” he said.

Rolf Bergmeier, 50, a sculptor from Hamburg in Germany, said he was also attracted by Dong’s calligraphic installation.

“I’m not interested in what the artist has tried to say through his work but what the work itself has told me,” said Bergmeier, who has worked as a visiting artist in Shenzhen Fine Art Institute for six weeks.

“I don’t know Chinese characters at all, but it’s very intriguing to see Chinese characters have become the moving signs in the work,” he said.

According to Dong, all works on display were specially made for the contemporary Chinese art exhibition, “Changing Ink Painting,” which is to be held in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) in Germany next month.

“In Chinese, the word ‘lotus’ (heping) is pronounced in the same way as the word ‘peace’ and many modern Chinese master painters, such as Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Pan Tianshou, had depicted the lotus in their works because it represents a noble, peaceful and beautiful world,” Dong said.

In recent years, Dong has continued working on his lotus ink painting series, using different techniques and media, such as Chinese rice paper, silk, and canvas, to express the spirit of lotus blossoms based on today’s ideas and aesthetic tastes.

“When the exhibition planners in Germany called me at the beginning of this year inviting me to join the exhibition, I began to consider using new media to express the charms of Chinese calligraphy and ink paintings,” Dong said.

Despite his busy work schedule, it took Dong less than one month in March to design and complete all works on display.