Exhibition Period: 18th November – 9th December 2011
Venue: iPRECIATION Singapore
Born in Jiangxi Province, eastern China in 1940, Gao Xingjian is one of the world’s most respected multidisciplinary artists. An acclaimed novelist, painter, playwright, poet and filmmaker, Gao’s creations have been showcased worldwide, notably in cities including Vienna, New York, London, Stockholm, Malmo, Poznan, Luxembourg, Brussels, Hong Kong, Madrid, Barcelona, Mons, Berlin, Aachen, Baden-Baden, Taipei and Singapore. Gao was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000 for his prodigious novel ‘Soul Mountain’, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 1992, and the Lions Award by the New York Public Library in 2006.
Between 2008 and 2010, a majority of Gao Xingjian’s ink paintings were executed on canvas instead of rice paper, invoking a unique textural element to his work. The play with light and the coagulation of different hues of black, grey ink, takes on a different dimension. While the colours do not synthesise as readily on a canvas base, what is intriguing is the essence of light: The contrast between light and dark is amplified as each brushstroke gains a renewed strength, providing a fresh intensity to his paintings.
The recent ink on canvas paintings present more defined brushstrokes and segregation of hues. These strokes are alike to demarcation lines- a variation of soft, hard lines that appear to confine or ascertain a voluntary separation from the world, such as ‘Le Tourbillon’, where a figure enclosed in a small sheath of light stands surrounded by a dark, odd circle; or ‘Au Fond du Monde’, where the distinctions between the rise of light above and gradual darkness below suggests an infinite depth, or the end of the world. Situated in the indistinct world between the figurative and abstract, Gao’s paintings, whether created on paper or canvas, summon the ambiguity of forms that lead one to question, probe and approach an introspective vision.
Among the exhibits are 5 exclusive monumental creations previously showcased at Casal Solleric in Spain, Palma’s foremost cultural centre. Artworks are available for preview.
Please contact +65 6339 0678 to arrange for a private viewing.
