On April 2, 2016, curated by the art critic, architecture and art history scholar Wang Mingxian, “Chen Wenling's Bull – Large-Scale Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition” opened at Beijing Shunyi International Flower Port, and it is jointly organized by Beijing International Flower Port, Beijing Beautiful Asset Culture Industry Co., Ltd., Beijing BABU Culture Development Co, Ltd. and BA Creative Station. The exhibition features a series of new creations by Chen Wenling, including the “Chinese Landscape Series”, “Red Memory Series" and “Chen Wenling's Bull”. Many famous artists, art critics and scholars attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. This exhibition is the largest outdoor sculpture exhibition by Chen Wenling.
The theme of the exhibition is derived from a large-scale work recently created by the artist, its purpose is to expound “in the boundless universe, its integrity is all reflected on the containment of everything. So, in the ancient Chinese language, the character of “thing” in everything both refers to a specific thing and the ‘five-color bull’ which is regarded as the epitome of the boundless universe. In the process of looking for the community of human destiny, we urgently need to revisit the ancient wisdom of ‘All things are awesome’, offering respect to all things – regardless of its size – the original great value.” It is also Chen Wenling’s latest feelings about life and art, Chen said at the opening ceremony that, he had a serious illness over the past few years and he struggled with the illness in creating his own ideal, while art was his salvation, and gave him a sense of rebirth and joy, in addition, he also felt all things had their own lives, all things were awesome, for example, when a crane crashed into a tree or a manhole cover in the garden, he used the artistic style to “transform” it, rather than let it die.
In addition to the most prominent thematic work, it also includes the latest installation entitled the “Clean Brook”, which is a shabby fishing boat that was salvaged from the thick brook, and the artist make it an amazing and interesting carrier through the transformation. In addition, “The Tree of Memory” presents the aesthetic feeling of the image as transformed by many traditional Chinese cultural symbols, which is a new understanding and perception of life. The masterpiece of the artist “Red Memory” series has always been the formal expression of the personal autobiographical experience and it also explores and presents the condition of self and the spirit of common humanity in his latest work “Land of Idyllic Beauty – Smelling the Fragrance”.
Starting from the creation of “Chinese Landscape” series, Chen Wenling reveals the transition of Chinese contemporary social combinations and the anxiety brought by the the rapid development of Chinese cities. As the curator Wang Mingxian said: “Chen Wenling gives the work a powerful aura of poetic space, with the help of the precise grasping of the environment and the new contemporary cultural concepts. In the large-scale exhibition venue, his sculptures showcase a particularly strong visual impact, so that the viewer can feel the impact of romanticism and grassroots heroism while the spirit motivates the reflection of redemption, and thus experiences the real sense of moving.” The exhibition remains on view till May 10.
Text and photo by Zhang Wenzhi, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO
