2018 On Paper.Supreme at Qing Dao, What the artists say:

A huge thank you to Tiantai Arts centre in QingDao for hosting an impressive exhibition especially to Mr Li Qiao Ping 李桥平 director of the art space who presented a wonderful opening, the crowds of visitors were able to enjoy the artworks with live classical music performed throughout the afternoon. Sincere thanks to David Dai戴大伟, chairman of Tiantai who spoke at the opening ceremony. Also a big thank you to Karl Li who assisted, translated and facilitated many of the arrangements. Gratitude also of course to curator Chang Feng 长风 for such a significant project which will travel several cities in China in 2018 and also for producing the striking catalogue.

Participating artists include:

Aimee Lee, Pyo Inbu, Ryota Shiibashi, Fion Gunn, Jin Nanwu, Li Hongbo, Maribel Portela, Qin Jian, Xin Song, Wang Lei, Wu Liangyan, Yang Zhiling, Woonhak Chung, Audrey Mullins, Chen Yafeng, Jerry Lee, Ming Ke, Patrick Dewit, Quan Bao, Niamh Cunningham, Yumo Wu, Zhang Dan, Zhong Zhao

Qingdao artists:

Li Jianrong, Liang Lingjuan, Liang Xi, Liang Xiao, Liu Chuanbao, Qu Baolai, Xue Bo, Wei Ming, Wu Yizhen, You Liangcheng, Zheng Ri

Li Hongbo李洪波,

what the artist says :

The work originates from the “Paper Gourd” which we often played with in childhood. A stack of thin paper can change into a variety of different forms. I can see other alternatives for the paper-based language engaging such visual impact, from the concrete to the abstract, tangible to invisible, from norm to freedom, or vice versa. The continuity of the paper becomes an important element for language expression. Its concentration and dispersion, up and down, present a set of unpredictable possibilities.

(second photo above shows curator Chang Feng displaying one of the Li Hongbo’s works )

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Qin Jian秦剑,

what the artist says :

The human desire to seek free space and issues of an ever increasing population which causes huge burden on the earth are some of the issues I explore. The natural state of human reproduction will change with the rapid development of in-vitro embryo technology and the maturity of robotics industry. The results of these advancements are still unknown but the topic of human reproduction worship is another area I examine with my work. Delving into the depths of the human heart that deal with sensations such as memories of a past life or encorporating information from elsewhere, it is in these realms of displacement where my work lies.

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Yang Zhiling 扬志凌,

what the artist says :

The power of the soul is boundless like a flower bud unfurling into an expansive garden—like a drop of water morphing into an endless flowing spring. Wellbeing is a state of mind; as long as there is sunshine in the heart, no matter where one goes, one will find abundant happiness. I use light as a tool of perception and of painting. ‘To carry your own sunshine’ is a kind of natural optimism, clear and diaphanous, a mentality which is clean and fully occupied. Bringing your own sunshine is a kind of wisdom, a transcendence, which allows us to eclipse our despair in difficult circumstances; to sincerely and magnanimously enjoy the sunshine.

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Ryota Shiibashi,

what the artist says:

I believe that life after death and before birth are of the same world and is somehow linked to this world at the same time. Nature allows for a more tangible experience to explore the space between Life and Death. When I make collage works from my mountain photography I imagine the creation of the earth in the pulverizing act of rocks crashing together over a long period of time.

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Fion Gunn 飞扬,

what the artist says :

I am interested in the relationships between our most profound, most personal experiences and the macro narrative of history. Using a wide range of media I explore the movement of peoples, our multi-layered cultures and aesthetic connections. Art offers a valuable space where all perspectives, causes and effects, can be included and scrutinised.

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Xin Song宋昕,

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Wu Liangyan吴梁焰,

what the artist says :

There is war in the kingdom of faith. Yet the kingdom of war has many faiths, the Heart Sutra, the Bible, and the Islamic Classic. I use the wisdom of the Three Classic faiths to create a contradictory community that includes the evils of a field war. For example the knowledge from the Bible can help us yet it can injure others, this otherness leads to the belief in justified violence and influences a cold and relentless war. I hope to use my works to express my hope for future world peace.

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Audrey Mullins,

what the artist says :

I like to think of my abstracted landscapes as visions of imagined planets where un-deciphered languages are scattered on weathered surfaces. These languages suggest unanswered questions, un-concluded narratives and the fear of un-consequentiality. The delicate surfaces hint at both fragility and complexity, it is my response to human history.

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Jerry Li 李家瑞,

what the artist says :

My current work investigates commonplace anxieties, trivialities and information. These are spliced together randomly on a flat plane with the aim of achieving a more spacious sense of location and information. This may involve many modes of communication such as writing, photos, painting, technology, manufacturing and so on. Whichever way it manifests itself, it must be an expression that persists in the plane. it must be zeitgeist in expression and bring visually immediacy to the audience.

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Patrick Dewitt,

what the artist says:

It is always an adventure to start a painting. I never have a goal and never know where it will bring me. The majority of my compositions are small because I usually add very fine lines and tiny details. Had I made them bigger they would most likely be heavier, those thin lines would be lost entirely and look completely different.

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Aimee Lee

What the artist says:

Paper is central to my work as material, tradition, and theme. All of these books are made from paper that I make directly from plants. The pages are embedded with more paper that I have dyed, spun, woven, and marked into the pages. The stories weave together personal narrative and an excavation of material history through text, line, and actual objects.

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Quan Bao全宝,

what the artist says :

Borrowing from the landscapes on Chinese currency notes I explore the special effects using disposable napkins with oil on canvas. Producing a different sense of form which instigated many trials and further curiosity. The combination of classic traditional oil paint and cheap disposable napkins poses an interesting dichotomy. Framed within many fragmented images, I am fascinated by the ‘in between spaces’ connecting the collage sheets creating a crushing tension.

The massive daily consumption of these disposable napkins reflects on China’s rapid development and it is that material prosperity we see on the surface. And so there are new dichotomies of spirit and belief, crushing and rebuilding, prosperity and extinction.

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‘Pouring redemption for me -sepia’, mixed media, 50x28cm Niamh Cunningham 2018

Niamh Cunningham 瑞莲

what the artist says :

The sucrose series explores loss and reclamation through process and materiality. It involves a sequence of multiple interventions and explores how the physical matter itself can continue to push the creation event. Some of the interventions include sewing, ‘burning off’ the digital image from the surface, adding colour and of course the crystalisation process of sugar. Once I am finished working on the ‘sugar painting’ the process of crystalisation may continue to transform and obliterate. The imagery itself is of nature and the environment, places around Beijing which I know well and for which I have a strong affinity. For more on this work click here

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Yu Mo Wu吴禹墨,

what the artist says :

I worked with Xu Sheng in both Argentina and Iceland to gather the traces of sunlight, each working in the other country. “Collecting Sunshine” is a collaborative work performed simultaneously, one in the extreme cold and very limited sunshine of northern Iceland. The opposite destination of South America provided intense summer light and high UV levels of Cuba, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. We both gathered local “container” objects daily at the same time. Northern and Southern latitudes vary in UV intensity and so the ‘collected sunlight’ marks shadows of variable strengths and shapes on the photo sensitive paper different volumes of a variety of containers such as box, cup, cola cans, tourism products.

Each artist is either north or south, simultaneously in winter and summer, probing and testing sunlight and ultraviolet rays. It is a solar treasure as the concept lies in the fact that it is the containers that are collected by the sun in opposite sides of the planet thus completing the “polar dialogue”

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Kim Namo 金南五 (Jin Nanwu)

Local Artists:

Liang Ling Juan梁凌娟,

what the artist says:

During my process my goal is to be emotionally present and truthful . The work reflects a time and a state of mind whether it is joy, sorrow, each work is deeply connected to me and I feel an almost parental accountability for each work .

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Liu Quan Bao 刘quan 宝

My work probes into my living environment and investigates the current state of things. I often refer to the bizarre urban development using cold metal materials but of course the work for this exhibition is made of charred paper.

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