World-class of Chinese artists on display

Continuing through Nov. 9 in the center’s Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, the exhibit is part of the 24th annual “New Music and Art Festival,” an international event that brings contemporary artists and composers to Bowling Green each year.

The term radical line refers not only to the tradition of ink drawing and calligraphy, but also to a philosophical edge or border traversed by these artists. The theme of this exhibition incorporates the collision, rejection, integration and whirlwind of influences that drove contemporary Chinese artists to reexamine their relationship to traditional Chinese media and values as they intersect with Western culture and ideas.

The two-dimensional media focus on the interpretation of traditional Chinese scroll and ink drawings and the concern about language and writing occupying many of the artists.

All of the artists featured in Radical Line are internationally renowned, and many have received awards in their field. Among them is Xu Bing, winner of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1999. He once covered ceilings and walls with books and giant scrolls written in 4,000 unreadable characters. Now he experiments with pseudo-writing to complicate the understanding of culture and communication.

Exhibitor Wang Dongling is among the most noted calligraphers in China. His work captures the rudimentary and abstract nature of calligraphy art in compositions that are rooted in tradition, but contemporary in concept and execution.

Qui Zhijie, a highly noted experimental artist, often uses his own body as the canvas for bold calligraphy. Zhijie’s art places calligraphy in the context of conceptual art. One of his most famous works, “Copying One Thousand Times ‘Preface to Orchid Pavilion Anthology’ 1995-96,” was created by copying a famous piece of calligraphy in Chinese history one thousand times until the words dissolved into ink.

Pan Xing Lei, a performance and graffiti artist, will attend the exhibition opening and create a performance piece that echoes his past, incorporating his provocative approach to art making. Lei’s works, including the “Goddess of Democracy” monument created during the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, reflect his passion for art and the artistic act of performance.

Works by the recently deceased artist and art collector C.C. Wang, well known for his generous donations to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and unique approach to calligraphy, will also be featured at the Radical Line exhibition. His innovative style set him apart from both the Chinese artists and the Western calligraphers of his time, and earned him international respect.

The innovative spirit persists with the other artists represented, as well, including: Qin Feng, Huang Chih-Yahg, Gu Wenda, Zhou Hejun, Xing Fei, Emily Cheng, Huang Rei, Liu Tian Wei, Qui Deshu, Wang Tiande, Yuan Yunsheng, and Zhou Hejun.

The New Music and Art Festival will also present a series of concerts on the campus of BGSU and at the Toledo Museum of Art. In addition, there will be a screening of New Music and Art videos at the Cla-Zel Theatre in downtown Bowling Green.

Radical Line is sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council, the Ethical Cultural Arts Program, Medici Circle, and the Fine Arts Center Galleries. Ethan Cohen, director of the Ethan Cohen Gallery in New York, specializing in Chinese contemporary art, curated this exhibition. Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

For more information contact the Fine Arts Center galleries at 419-372-8525 or visit www.bgsu.edu/colleges/music/MACCM/festival/nmaf24/.

(Posted October 08, 2003 )