'Ink Remix' is an exciting explorative exhibition of the contemporary ink artists from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The exhibition is the first in Australia that looks to highlight the development and connection that young artists are making through the use of ink. The exhibition looks to challenge and break the common pre-conception that the use of ink is strictly a traditional Chinese art form that revolves around calligraphy and traditional paintings.
Curator and contemporary Chinese art scholar Sophie McIntyre has partnered with the Canberra Museum and Gallery to present the 'Ink Remix' exhibition at Museum of Brisbane. She has organised an exhibition that explores how the popularity of ink has grown in East Asia with 14 artists from the mainlands of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong presenting works that are dynamic visual explorations of contemporary society. Sophie explains her interest in the contemporary ink art movement and the process of creating the exhibition.
'Harvest'The exhibition was inspired by the question, ‘What defines contemporary ink art today?’ What drew you to explore this question through art initially?
There have been many exhibitions, publications and symposia focusing on ink art internationally during the last decade. However, many of these exhibitions and discussions have been more celebratory, exploring the resurgence of ink art as a continuation and part of Chinese cultural tradition. I was more interested in artists who were critically exploring this subject, questioning what this tradition (which is as much philosophical as it is artistic) means to them today. As this exhibition reveals, contemporary ink art, as it has become known, is diverse and contemporary. Artists are employing a range of media to explore contemporary issues that have local as well as global relevance.
What personally draws you to the new developments that are being made by artists through the medium of ink?
I’ve been living in and travelling in East Asia for more than two decades now, and during this time there have been some rapid and dramatic economic and socio-political changes that have taken place in this region. As a curator, I feel it is important to engage with what is happening around us, locally as well as globally, and these artists clearly feel this is important too. Through their works, they are exploring issues which impact on us all, relating to globalisation, environmental pollution, the media, gender issues and some are questioning the role and significance of religion and spirituality today. I should emphasise that this exhibition is not focusing on ink as a medium or technique. Rather, it explores the idea of the ink tradition, as an intellectual and artistic practice that has evolved over centuries and been deeply inspired by Chinese history, philosophy as well as politics and economics.
Peng Wei - 'Sergio Rossi Boots with ink on rice paper'Why do you think young, contemporary artists have taken a liking to exploring and creating works with ink?
In China, especially, people have experienced rapid economic growth and the effects of industrialisation and globalisation. The artists in this exhibition were all born after the mid-1960s. Unlike their parents, they grew up during a period of economic prosperity and modernisation. They didn’t directly experience the effects of the Cultural Revolution when much of China’s cultural heritage was destroyed. Some of these artists in the exhibition, such as Chen Shaoxiong and Feng Mengbo from Beijing, are exploring aspects of China’s past, including its political and cultural history, as well as its ink painting tradition which they learnt at school. There is an element of nostalgia to this, I suppose, and some of these artists are also interested in learning more about their history and heritage. It’s important to emphasise though, that these artists do not define themselves as ink artists, since they work in a vast range of media, including video, installation, textiles and animation. These artists are not seeking to reinvent or celebrate this tradition. Rather, they are wanting to re-examine some of the ideas or philosophy behind it.
'Ink Remix' is the first exhibition in Australia to explore the contemporary use of ink by Eastern artists. As this is the first, did that add a sense of pressure when you were creating the exhibition?
There have been exhibitions internationally focusing on this ink art phenomenon. For example, there was an exhibition held recently at The Met in New York called ‘Ink Art’ – but it focused only on art from mainland China and featured works from the 1990s. In this exhibition it was a conscious decision of mine to include work from Hong Kong and Taiwan which have their own local histories and traditions. In Australia, since the Keating era, most Australians have become very conscious of our position in the Asia Pacific region and there have been many exhibitions from Asia held here, such as the Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane. Some of the artists in this exhibition will be familiar to some, but they are showing new works, and there are many other artists in this exhibition whose works have never been shown in Australia.
'Famous Modern Architecture Of Hong Kong Before 1997'This exhibition highlights the new ways that contemporary artists are using ink. As there is such a strong connection between ink and traditional Chinese art, do you think the public will be somewhat surprised by the works they see?
Yes. When I was doing research for the exhibition and I mentioned it was focusing on ink art, most people assumed that I was developing an exhibition focusing on ink painting. During the exhibition tour, many people have been surprised because they expected to see traditional ink landscape paintings. Some people still associate ink art with ink painting where artists use ink and brush on paper. Most of the participating artists in this exhibition are not working in ink or with brush on paper. They are working in a vast array of media including video, animation, painted coins and even Coca-Cola.
What was the process like for selecting the 14 artists' work that will be displayed?
Challenging! The field is vast and the exhibition could have been ten times the size. This exhibition is traveling to four galleries and museums, which have very different spaces and audiences. I had to be conscious of this, and there’s also the sheer logistics of touring a show. I narrowed the focus to focus on artists born after the 1960s and selected artists’ works which critically engaged with this idea.
Each artist's work includes a wide range of techniques and media that helps to explore the art form of ink. Was including works that explored other mediums as well as ink a key aspect of looking at the current use of ink in art?
Yes, absolutely. These artists work in a diverse media and very few of them actually work in ink. The artists are international, and like any other artist in the world, they are experimenting with a range of media including video, animation etc.
Peng Wei - 'Good Things Come In Pairs'Were there any key challenges that surfaced during the creation of this exhibition?
Yes, definitely. This exhibition took two-and-a-half years to develop. It involved a number of field trips to artist studios and numerous galleries and collectors’ homes, and some of the key challenges were finding female artists who were engaging with this subject, and also having to limit the number of works for this touring exhibition.
What are you most excited about with presenting this exhibition?
It's great to have the opportunity to bring this exhibition home, as I am originally from Brisbane, and to an audience that is relatively Asia-literate. Given the success of the APT and other cultural programs Brisbane has staged, I hope that audiences in Brisbane will enjoy and engage with this exhibition and take something away from it. For the artists, they are very excited to be presenting their work here. There will be a series of public programs presented throughout the duration of the exhibition that will give audiences new insights into the exhibition and the works presented in it.
Shieh Wilson - 'Fatal Dignity'Lastly, along with this being a fantastic opportunity for people to view work they most likely haven’t been exposed to before, what is another reason as to why people should check the exhibition out?
To challenge their expectations and preconceptions and to see some new and fresh work. Almost all the works were created in the last five years and many were commissioned for the exhibition. Most of the artists haven’t shown their work in Australia before so it is a great opportunity to view new works from a region that is attracting so much attention in Australia and worldwide.
