By Mirna A Santos | 2008-9-9 | Shanghai Daily - Supplement
Rather than copying Eastern or Western art concepts, the Smart Gallery’s featured artists have been influenced by the culture they grew up in and the world surrounding them. These artists have incorporated their own personal reflections into their creative process and into their work.
Located in the Moganshan area, the comprehensive hub for arts that has blossomed in recent years in Shanghai, Smart Gallery displays a broad spectrum of styles and media format for both the new and the seasoned art collectors. The Gallery holds regular exhibitions of unique paintings to limited edition sculpture, wood cuts and photography, from East to West and from renowned to emerging stars.
The subject matters of the art extend from isolated self-depictions to urban portrayals or landscapes, from culturally significant and thought-provoking material to more relaxed and refreshingly humorous topics.
Take Smart Gallery’s recent ‘Originals’ exhibition as an example: the work of five artists in a unique collection of elements from East and West intertwined by a shared feeling of Bie Yang, a Chinese concept to express the unique quality that differentiates one’s creation from others, no matter if they come from America, Europe or Asia. That is also true for the Gallery; a genuine sense of originality drives their constant search of new artists and artwork.
Upon arrival, visitors were greeted by the opened arms of a nude elongated young lady standing still in the gallery entryway. Eleonora Tugues’ (Venezuelan) sensual sculptures are reminiscent of those by Giacometti. It is true that both are stretching out to the space surrounding them, but Eleonora’s subjects are incorporated within that space and trespass the limits of the possible. They defy the action instead of the inaction: “I strongly believe that art must be integrated into our daily life”, says the artist.
Her sculptures soon gave way to the art structures of Rolf Bergmeier (German), called Oil on Wood, referring to the material used in his creations as well as the rediscovered technique. Bergmeier is a pioneer of the “three-dimensional painting” with room-spanning meshwork of black wooden compositions. The two re-compositions displayed at the moment were fragments of branches, put together like a woven fabric, covered in black oil paint and defining a geometrical space which confronts the viewer and opens up for us a different view of the world.
Yi Zhou’s oil painting exudes simplicity and elegance. He relies on his deep Chinese roots and upbringing to express himself. At a distance his “Silhouette of Lotus” series might look like traditional Chinese ink-wash painting; on closer inspection, it is clear that the detail of water reflecting sunlight can only be achieved by oil. 'I am trying to mesh contemporary artistry with traditional Chinese culture to create a sense of wonder that cannot be expressed explicitly in words', says Yi.
Yan Binhui translates the Tao cultivation of the Way into his own explorations of ink-wash painting. An enlarged bright colored bar-code juxtaposed with an empty bottle of polystyrene. Thus, he adds elements of traditional philosophy and subtle criticism. Is this a tribute to free consumerism or an alert call? “When the bottle is empty, he says, you can put anything into it. Just as in Buddhist philosophy - all is nothing and nothing is all. When you don't have anything, you may have the world already.”
Wood-cut artist Sang also depicts his philosophy, this time, using a chisel and knife. In his works, he portrays himself as a fish or a chair, lost, alone and out of place. Where to go and what to do is the pressing question which the artist challenges the viewer to determine?
Smart artists are trying to solve formal questions in an unconventional way that set them apart from their counterparts. Smart Gallery is itself a unique venue where to appreciate contemporary fine quality art for those who want to further explore Chinese art and tradition in a contemporary way.
