Madeleine Aleman

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am interested in integration and want to combine things that do not naturally exist side by side. Earlier I worked on gender, lately more on ethnic integration. It can, for example, be an African woman that needs water and therefore is placed by a Nordic lake or Arabic ornaments together with festival Swedish Star-boys. I even mix styles and techniques. I like traditional style together with kitsch – to integrate “high and low”. In second-hand shops I find touristic things from different cultures which I glue together into “Multi-cultic-objects” Twins also interests me. My siblings are twins and them always having each other, identifying with each other both fascinated and woke my envy as a child… I like the mirror effect, when objects are repeated and form patterns. Working a lot with twin-motifs developed the pictures into “Kaleidoscopes”. What happens if I double the twins? They became four and formed symmetric compositions, like the ancient tradition of Mandalas that exists in different cultures.

Ideas often start with something I see: a person, a thing or a view that stimulates my associations. Even the material can turn me on as well as a colour. I manifest my visual idea, trying not to analyse before I am done, because my mind is so adult-like and I want a more direct expression. My art does not have a message to the beholder. I only want to share my visual world and I am happy if it in someone arouses feelings of wonder, playfulness and hope.

artist website: www.aleman.se

MADELEINE ALEMAN

Born 1959 in Stockholm, Sweden. Lives and works in Stockholm and Dalarna.
Member of the Swedish Artists´ National Organization.

EDUCATION:
University College of Art, Crafts and Design, Stockholm 1996-2000
Nyckelviksskolan, Stockholm 1995-1996
The International Art School, Stockholm 1994-1995

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
Wahlmanska huset, Hedemora 2008
Gallery Ingela S, Stockholm 2007
The Music Museum of Stockholm 2001
Glasbruket, Stockholm 2000

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
Art Fair, Sollentuna/Stockholm 2007
Edsvik Art Gallery, Stockholm 2006
Art Gallery, Stockholm 2004
Rosendals Garden, Stockholm 2001
Gallery Gamle Ski, Oslo (three selected Swedish artists) 2001
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:
TC/G Nordica, Kunming, China 2008 The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle, England 2009
La Galeria, Barcelona, Spain 2009 Gallery Gora, Montreal, Canada 2010

PURCHASED BY:
Uppsala County Council, Sweden 2007
Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden 2006
The County of Ski, Norway 2001
Medborgarskolan, Stockholm, Sweden 2001

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE:
TC/G Nordica, Kunming, China, 4 months 2008
Can Serrat, Barcelona, Spain, 1 month 2009

SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS and AWARDS:
Stipendium, Helge Ax:son Johnsson Foundation, 2003
Stipend, Artist-in-residence, Can Serrat, Barcelona 2008

PROFESSIONAL:
Viktor Rydberg High School ,Aesthetic program, Stockholm, Teacher of Studio Art, 2003-
Folkuniversitetet, Studio Art School, Stockholm, Teacher of Studio Art, 1999-2006

Studio Art Workshop leader for Bildkraft, Stockholm, 2002-
Stadsmuséet National Museum, Stockholm, Leader for Art workshop for kids on “Tiljan”, 1997-1999
Featured in Swedish National Radio :”Tendens” P1, about “dreams and inner visions”, 2002
Certificated Art Therapist after studies at NIARTE, 2001-2004
Stagedesign assistent at The Royal Dramatical theatre, Stockholm, 1980-1982 and The Royal Opera house, Stockholm, 2002
Original illustrater, Visucom, Stockholm, 1980-1981

Morten Viskum

Morten Viskum
The artist, Morten Viskum was born in Helsingør in 1965. He lives and works in Vestfossen in Norway. In 1993 he interrupted his veterinary studies after six years when he was accepted to The Academy of Fine Art in Oslo. In 1995 he headlined the news for the first time when he performed his “Rat/olive”-project. During two days he exchanged bottled olives with rat babies and placed them back on the shelves in 20 different supermarkets in five major cities. Soon speculations of sabotage were made, and the story was first page news for several days. The young artist was threatened with a lawsuit by the international industrial giant S&W, who produced and sold the bottled olives. This art stunt which soon was given the name the “rat/olive”-project, firmly placed Morten Viskum on the contemporary art scene. And since then he has been considered to be one of the most provocative contemporary artist in Norway. After finishing his art education in 1997, Viskum has been represented in different national and international exhibitions.

The installation “Remains from heaven” from 1993-97 was made for the final exhibition at The Art Academy in 1997. This installation consisted of 658 small objects that were collected from each day he went to the academy. All these objects are exposed on four shelves that are mounted in a square so the beholder is able to walk around it. Each object has a number, that is written with a label machine on the shelf. It displays animal-food on cans, mice on formaline, pharmaceutical products, notes etc. It is not displayed in an aesthetic manner, rather in a systematic and a completely rational manner, almost like products in a historic museum, like an archive or a diary of the artists days during this period. The references go to artists like Ilya Kabakov, but this is most definitely Morten Viskums own universe at display. The title refers to what the young artist though to be the happiest period of his life, so far. It exposes a humoristic view of a young artist who believes in himself and who also poke fun at the romantic view on artists.

The artist expresses his art through installations, performances, photography and painting. He also gained international and national attention when he established Vestfossen Kunslaboratorium (Vestfossen Art Laboratory) in 2003, an art hall that has become one of the most significant scene for international contemporary art in Norway.

«Love from God» is a photography of a newborn rat crucified on a richly ornamented symbolic cross. The title refers to a Norwegian hymn, wich was sung in a funeral of a close relative to Viskum. With a background as a veterinarian, we can imagin that Morten Viskum has seen thousands of rats die in the name of science. All sacrifice has its victims. When the artis uses one of the strongest symbols in our culture, the crusifixion of Christ who died for our sins, many Christians will experience this act of a crucified rat as blasphemy. But is it? This work raises many ethical question. Is it right to sacrifice one being to save another? And for what causes can it be tolerated? Medical reserch of all kinds? Who has to die for our sins this time?

Viskums art is a counterbalance to the visual, delicate and ironic art of the 90 ́s. His “straight in your face” approach makes his aestethics brutally honest. Through his art we are reminded constantly of that we all share the same destiny, we are all going to die, no one gets out of this alive!

Viskum was front page news again in Norwegian newspapers when he used a human hand that was removed from a corps, as a paintbrush in works called “The hand that never stopped painting”. The means are often strong and often satisfies the media’s definition of sensation. But the dramatic art of Viskum also reveals a deeper meaning, often found on the borderline between life and death, often rising ethical questions. It is difficult for the beholder to remain passive and not become engaged when meeting Morten Viskum ́s art.

«The hand that never stopped painting» is the title on the first paintings Morten Viskum painted with the dead hand. They where first shown at Galleri Christian Dam, Copenhagen 1999. The hand was placed in a metal box with a lid, so the viewers decided for themselves if they wanted to see it or not. Not surprisingly, the exhibition created a lot of attention, and the hand was in fact stolen. The Copenhagen police didn’t know what to do with the somewhat curious stolen object. The hand eventually found its way back to the rightful owner. Later the hand has been a significant part of many of Morten Viskums art projects. The characteristic pattern made by the hand is easily recognisable in form of short abrupt lines, applied vertically, in many layers and in many colours that gives a feeling of rhythm to the painting. Later the hand has also been used applying blood (animal) in scattered vertical lines.

By using a hand from a dead person as a paintbrush, Viskum draws attention towards the work process. By this approach the art appears performative, more as an action, and not as much as an object related material presence. The work that Viskum creates with the dead hand appears conceptual, where the idea behind the objects comes ahead of the finished painting.

Viskum can therefore be said to have a conceptual approach. When discussing the paintings titled “The hand that never stopped painting” it is natural to mention other conceptual artists like Yves Klein (b. 1928) and his “Antorpometries” from the sixties. He used nude female models as “ living brushes” (a term used by the artist) in his paintings. Still the imprints of the female models gives a totally different association to the beholder than the work done by Viskums dead hand.

It is no escaping that Morten Viskum challenges our awe and respect of death, and many will feel provoked and shocked by the artists’ direct interaction and attitude towards death. A respectful and ethically acceptable way of treating dead human beings and their remains, is deeply rooted in most cultures. When the artist challenges our moral and attitude towards death, many will find themselves both shocked and provoked. The art of Morten Viskum often questions our moral and ethical limits. No one can accuse his work in “The hand that never stopped painting” to be conventional and politically correct art. Who the hand belonged to initially, is on of Viskums well kept secrets.

Morten Viskum works on different bodies of work concurrently. The last few of years he has been working on a project where he once year on the day of his birth travels to Paris to make a copy of himself in silicone, at one of the worlds best silicone-doll makers. Each year a new version of Morten Viskum is made. He has been depicted as a scientist, a priest, Christ, Son of Abdullah and this year as a body builder. The sculptures are each year a part of an annual installation where the figures are presented in a related context.

Another of these bodies of work is the «Monogram» series. The artist has announced that he plans to make twelve works. All the «Monogram» works hava reference to the American artist Robert Rauschenberg ́s well known work «Monogram» (1959). This is one of the most influential works from the 21. Century’s art history, and one of the artists first «combines». Robert Rauschenberg shows in this piece a radical juxtaposition of objects, a stuffed angora goat, a tyre, the heal from a shoe, a tennis ball and paint. This combination of objects and paint, can be said to be the core of Robert Rauschenberg ́s work. Rauschenberg ́s «Monogram» is in the Moderna Museet in Stockholm (Sweden), and is one of the museum’s main attractions.

«Monogram I»
A stuffed musk from the mountains of Dovre in Norway is placed on a painted board, standing with its hind legs in a trailer-tire. The references to Rauschenbergs “Monogram” is obvious. It was considered one of the most barbarous work of art history ever made. Allegorically it was said very well by the art historian Jerry Saltz; “Rauschenberg was a bull in the china shop of art history, a satyre squeezing through the eye of an aestethic/erotic needle”. In early Christian art the goat was a symbol of the damned, and this was probably what Rauschenberg felt like as an artist and a bisexual, at the time. Viskum ́s work is a homage to Rauschenberg and can be characterized to be a large, more masculine version of Rauschenberg’s angora goat.

«Monogram II»
A stork is standing tall on a pyramide of tires. It is looking down at the beholder almost in a threatening manner. The image of a stork with an infant wrapped in a sling held in its beak, is a common picture in western popular culture. The stork is a symbol of childbirth. This was used as a common and tactic explanation to children to avoid a discussion about sex. When the child asked «where do I come from?», the parents answered «from the Stork». Despite this, it looks like the stork in Morten Viskums work is behaving very unthypically for a stork. As a wader, it is a strange place for the stork to make a rest on the top of the tires. It looks rather as if it is set on another mission than carrying children.

«Monogram III»
A little angora billy goat is resting peacefully on the painted board in «Monogram III». The similarity of a lamb is striking. The lamb has strong connotations in western history as Agnos dei, lamb of God. Often used as a representation of Christ who was sacrificed for our sins. The lamb signifies purity, but since this is an angora billy goat the horns are soon to grow out, and the innocence are soon to be damned. But still it is untouched and unaware of this and of the rubber tire laying behind its back.

«Monogram IV»
This work was made in 2008. It consists of a stuffed reindeer with lots of tires of different sizes placed on the antlers. A reindeer is an important national symbol in Norway, beeing the main resource for the native population of the north of Norway, the Sami people. Reindeers are known for managing the extreme cold and the deep snow in the north. They live in heards and differ from the rest of the deer family because both the male and the female have magnificent antlers.

«Monogram V»
A Norwegian brown bear stands on two legs like a human beeing. The fur is fluffy and it has a rubber ring around its stomach. The frightening bear, the beast of prey look almost humoristic in Morten Viskums work. It is standing in a pose like a lost child with a swimming ring around its belly.

«Monogram XI»
This work consists of 82 young billy goats wich are made of fibre glass. They stand, climbes and lay on a pile of 1000 car tires. The number 82 refers to every year Robert Rauschenberg lived. He died at the age og 82 on the 12th of May 2008.
All the animals in the «Monogram» series are placed on a painted board, the ryhtmical and neatly executed strokes are all applied with the dead human hand that never stopped painting.

Lill Carin Jacobsen
July 2008

more information about artist plz visit website: http://www.viskum.com

Lisa Tagesson in Kunming

Lisa Tagesson is a Swedish artist, she visited TCG Nordica(Kunming,China) from 2008.June.1 to Aug.31.
Here is the introduction from artist self about what her works about and what she has done in Kunming.

Words from Lisa:
I work with creating my own fabrics as well as with manipulating existing fabrics. I am interested in the integration of fabrics, the body and clothing. I create my own methods, using stitching to shape the fabric so that it has a special relationship to the body.

Important aspects in my work are craft work, knowledge of traditional techniques of costume-making and the Swedish tradition with connections to other countries. In my three month residencestudio at TCG Nordica, I worked with patterns made by pleating and folding techniques together with hand stitches and embroidery. I found a lot of inspiration in the textiles from Yunnan ethnic minorities.

I took part in Ms. Shasha’s project OVOP (One village one project) and hold a one day self portrait workshop with free embroidery.

CV LISA TAGESSON
Born 1981 Sweden

Education:
Gothenburgs University, HDK Steneby, Applied art, Master, Since - 07
Gothenburgs University, HDK Steneby, Textile -Garment - Design program, Bachelor - 07
Malmö Tillskärarakademi, Drawing-Garmentconstruction - 04
Östra Grevie, Adult Education collage, Textile - 03
Växjö Upper secondary school, Textile - Costume - 00

Solo Exhibition:
Kaleido, Uppsala - 08
Marstrand Town Hall, Gothenburg - 07
Gallery Olika, Dals Långed - 07
Baldersnäs Manor - 07
Bengtsfors Art Hall - 07

Group Exhibition:
TCG Nordica, Kunming, China - 08
Sockerbruket, Lidköping - 08
State Library, Malmö - 08
Angereds Culture Hall, Göteborg - 08
Lysekil Art Hall, Lysekil - 08
Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla - 08
Gallery KHVC, Örebro - 07
Skövde Art Museum - 07
Lokstallet, Strömstad - 07
The New Storehouse, Dals Långed - 07
Röhsska Museum, Fashion Exhibition, Göteborg - 07
Bengtsfors Fair, Bengtsfors - 07
Steneby Art Hall, Exam Exhibition - 07
Gallery Olika, Member Exhibition, Dals Långed - 07
Steneby Art Hall, Christmas Exhibition 05 - 07
Formex Fair, Stockholm - 06
Weaving Fair, Karlstad - 05
Moheda Town Hall, Växjö - 05
Gallery Enformsak, Malmö - 03
Consert Park, Malmö - 02
Gallery Sigma, Växjö - 00

Schoolarship:
VGR Artist in Residence, China - 08
Foundation Hilda Selanders Fund - 08
J.L Eklunds Handicraft Foundation 05 - 09
EU - Contribute through HDK Steneby 07 - 08
Kaleido Exhibition Schoolarship - 07
K-money, Youth Culture - 07
Swedbank Foundation Schoolarship Fund 06 - 07
Adlerbertska Fund 05 - 06
Växjö Municipality Culture Schoolarship - 04

Workexperience:
OVOP Culture of Minority handcraft development, Workshopleader, China - 08
Malmö Opera, Costume Department - 08
Sciencefestival, Göteborg - 08
Gothenburgs University, Teacher: Body and Wolume - 07
Foundation Steneby School, Teacher: Smock and Embrodery - 07
Design with Care, Sustainable Design, Sewing Commission - 07
Rock Festival, Hultsfred 05 - 06
Christmas City, Göteborg - 05
Göteborg Party, Göteborg - 05

Sold work of art:
Bohusläns Museum Art Association - 08
Udevalla Hospital Association - 08
Lysekil Art Association - 08
Steneby Hands Art Association- 08

Member:
BUS (Image originators right)
KHVC (Art and handicraft center)
K - Merkt Konst (Artistgroup)
VMT (Textile Artist group)
FAOS (Female Artwork of Sweden)
Not Quite (Art Organization)
RUS (Craft Organization)

Represented:
Elle Interiör Magazine
Hemslöjden Magazine
Konst Hantverk Magazine
DN Newspaper
Uppsala Newspaper
Provins Newspaper
Dalslänningen Newspaper
Småland Newspaper
HDK Steneby Homepage
Kravallslöjd Homepage
Kulturungdom Homepage

More Lisa’s information please visit her website: www.svenskakonstnarer.se/galleri/LisaTagesson

Photo by Lisa Tagesson and Luo Fei

The comments about He Libin’s arts

From ‘The Way to Come and Go’ to ‘Overlapped View’
–A Talk between Cheng Changwei and He Libin
Keywords: Earth Fantasy and reality Contrast Material experiment

In the talk, He Libin depicted the relationship between his own artworks and life, and an important one was the relationship between human beings and the earth. In 1994 and 1995, He Libin traveled to the west of China, such as Gan Su, Xing Jiang, Shan’Xi and Inner Mongolia. He was deeply touched by the desolation and emptiness in the west and created his first series about that: ‘Views in the West’. During the following years, He Libin has also been expressing the relationship between human beings and the environment by his artworks and doing material experiments in accordance to the changes of his feelings. He Libin answered some questions like what was the relationship between painting language and art history. In the talk, the ideas about contemporary art in Yunnan were also mentioned. According to He, contemporary art in Yunnan was dynamic and with very strong inclination to be experimental, and existed in a free and loose atmosphere to build itself.

Thoughts in Lapse
–A Talk between Zhang Guanghua and He Libin
Keyword: Skeptic Forgotten views Lost world Lapse Inspiration

In the talk, He Libin explained the reason why he created ‘The Lost Writing’ and ‘The Forgotten Views’ by newspaper. Newspaper is of mass production, cheap and with rough touch. After being folded and twisted, the change of black, grey and white of newspaper is what He Libin wanted to express about the forgotten views. In He’s opinion, ‘Everything in the world is wearing away’, and he wanted to express the lapse of time by his artworks.

To Explore the Spiritual Root in Wild Weald
–A Talk among Guan Yuda, Luo Fei and He Libin
Keywords: Weald Wildness Regression Factors beyond civilization Observation with distance

In the talk, Guan Yuda thought that discussing art in Yunnan can’t go without the nature. Although there was some relationship between He Libin’s painting ‘Weald’ and the natural sceneries, this painting should be put in a even broader contemporary cultural vision, and He Libin is not a scenery painter. In Luo Fei’s view, the first time when modernism regressed to weald, what was got were vanity and desperation. Today if weald is going to be the subject again, either go back to modernism or create the classic for the second time. As far as He Libin is concerned, he thought painting was to solve the ultimate problem of human beings: ‘where to come and where to go’. Going back to the spiritual original weald was exactly the factors beyond civilization, which were more natural, distant and clearer solutions to many problems in today’s city life.

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Some comments about He libin’s arts:

He Libin is good at using the integrated materials in a plane to imitate the model of Chinese ancient landscape paintings, expressing a deep rusting memory as well as the rejection and disappointment of the reality.

- Mao Xuhui,The prologue of “Altitude Reaction - Yunnan Young Artist Joint Exhibition”, 2003

The language pattern of He Libin’s works is an approach with multiple parallel language layers. The main scene comes from the traditional Chinese landscape painting but its underlying media is the background that combines calligraphy, printed texts, as well as modern synthetic-coated paint, which displays a more self-expressed narrative text style.

- Wu Jun,”Creativity and Cultural Significance of Contemporary Institute” (Review On The Second Biennial Guiyang Painting Exhibition), 2003

The work (”Lost writing”) is made up of strongly distorted newspaper that is turned into long sticks and in a smart way be neatly pinned together with nails, and the calligraphy comes from the distorted newspaper is embedded in them. These materials and methods make the exciting writing process suffocated, and traces of abstract cursive handwriting become vaguely visible.

- An Li (East Asian Media Anthropology Institute, Germany) ,”Wandering Lives - Individual Disasters & Non-art Uncooperative”, Experimental Art Exhibition Review, 2005

The Naxi Minority artist from Lijiang is known for his deep and internal artistic style, whose painting materials and topics are full of the artist’s inherent personality and great creativity.

- Lin Qingquan”New Living” B42, July 14, 2005

From the naming of the “Western Landscape” in 1995 to “Memories”, “The Come-and-go Road” to “Drifting Shadow”, “The Duplication of Sceneries”, “Lost Writing”, “Dedicated to my Hometown of Lijiang - the 100 moments on December 24, 2005″, such titles are throughout his all works in the past 10 years, including the naming of the exhibitions that he organized or participated, such as “A Tale of Two Cities”, “Mirage”, all expressing his memorial feelings. He has always been careful to find, in his stirring heart, the bygone years and time. It is precisely this consanguinity of historical awareness and the sharing of space-time that consists of the scenery with the preciousness of multiple significances.

- Lin Shanwen,”Art Cases”, April 2006

Walking away from various temporal issues, leaving the noisy and complicated world behind and coming into a no man’s land, when a man is with himself in the wilderness and solitude, he, so small under the sky, is no longer just a short-lived breathing creature on the earth but getting started to regain the thought of eternity and truth; he will rethink his own values and his physical body and mind will no longer be vulnerable to temptation of desires. The lonely heart stays calm and the lonely soul rests at peace without any confusion but with contemplation at the empty land and wilderness, the sole contemplation, the contemplation of himself and of the world around himself and of his conditions as a man who lives in the world. In the process of contemplation, the lonely heart and soul are fully open and released to experience the contemplation condition of “I am in the world and the world is in me” in the empty land and wilderness. However, as an artist, why does he choose to live lonely and in contemplation? I think that an artist has to live in the world where he is not belonged to, since he is the watcher of human being’s soul.

I think that is a link between the deep soul experience and He Libin’s recent works – the “wilderness” series, and the experience can be created and shared between every lonely person who lives in contemplation.

He Libin has walked away from the landscape model, and out of the symbolism of materials and signs. In my opinion, that is a qualitative leap for his artistic life. He once entered a world, looking around in the widely spread images and signs, then he retreated into wilderness full of weeds to contemplate; entered a world of traditional Chinese academic landscape images, then retreated into this world’s paintings of contemplation; entered a mixed signs and materials to have the meanings of culture expression, then retreated into a life experience of the dialogue between himself and soul wildness. As I once said, Libin is that kind of artist who seeks for dual dialogues. Today, the dual dialogues are no longer the dialogues of history, images, signs and materials, but the dialogues between him, as a person who have real lives and feelings and the world. This is gradually emerging through the dialogues about the history, images, signs and materials. Although there are anxieties and struggles during the contemplation in the wilderness, it is the real soul experience for a person who gets started to walk into the way of contemplation and loneliness. The loneliness and pain during the contemplation and loneliness will return eternal soul relief.

I think that it is the wilderness, rather than the yard beauty, that represents the real progress of Chinese academic landscape paintings.

- Luo Fei,”The Contemplation Conception in the Wilderness”, December 31, 2006

Recently Li Bin and Lan Qingxing went to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, where I had been in 2003, for sketching and drew a number of landscape paintings, all of which are pressing stone mountains where clouds are flying around, and that is cool. You will always feel the fragile and short lives when you face the steep mountains. I was wondering why Li Bin and his companies would transport frame canvas so far for sketching under the hot sunshine and in the rain. Nowadays, although there are countryside going and materials collections during an art course, few students can truly comprehend the wonders of the Nature, since the countryside going and materials collections have become formalized and superficial teaching mode: there are no emotional dialogues with the locals during the countryside goings, and the sketching have not built a link between the students’ heart and world, or the Jingjie (state or the level of one’s perception).

We once talked about the importance of the wilderness experience for individual lives and ethnic groups. Although Li Bin does not understand Christian spiritual theology, his deep experience of wilderness/empty land makes him know about the need for soul building and makes him understand the meaning of loneness in this noisy and complicated world, which makes him understand that the wild is the source of power. It was the end of last year when I first saw him getting started to paint the two or three of the “wilderness” series, then I wrote down my feelings about that when I came back and sent the article to him with uncertainty, since I do not understand why he was concerned about wilderness. I only turned my experience at the belief and spiritual level into artistic language to describe the “wilderness.” Later on, he said: “Although the words are very short, it was very in line with my mood.” I think the real soul experience on art and religion is the same.

The Jews are very familiar to wilderness since their ethnic history is generated from the wilderness, and nowadays they often live outside with the whole family. But for Chinese, especially intellectuals, wilderness is so far away that there are many pretty hills, green waters and pleasant courtyards in our traditional culture but no a barren wilderness.

On the going into wilderness, there are two points must be explained. Firstly, living alone in wilderness is not escaping but regaining strength and listening to the voices of his own soul, whose charming can not be understood by those who do not have the deep lonely living experience. Chinese literati like to go to beautiful landscapes being with themselves, but as I once said, it is the wilderness, rather than the yard beauty, that represents the real progress of the Chinese academic landscape paintings, because it surpassed the transmigrate fate that Chinese literati can not avoid: escape and seclusion. Today, there are still many artists who agree with this idea and value - “studio artists”, who make works in the studio working with workers or assistants and let the finished works sent to the agents for high money rewards, then continue to their next studio works. This very safe and hidden way is very appealing for some young artists, since it will make them happy and famous without at lower prices. Secondly, going out into wilderness is not resulting from himself but for the calls from the wilderness and the attraction to our spiritual personality from the personification of the wilderness. Libin agreed with me by saying that we need to repeatedly return to the original point looking up to the light of spirit; otherwise we will be lost in this era.

Libin asked me, “Is there a word to describe my art and thought?” I thought for a while and said no, especially today - there are not so many people who are willing to climb up to barren heights of solitude of the spirit and soul to contemplate. If we have to use a word to describe his art, the word should be “spiritual art” (it is not about the art of spirituality, but about the spirituality of art). It is not a rapid and fashionable response to the current mainstream but the experience of an individual living alone to seek for the universal human spirit of the ultimate brilliance. I said to him, your works is so very close to God!
Every time I talked to Libin I was astonished to see the two light beams of thought that are repeatedly staggered to integrate and bring out the new beams in the dark.

- Luo Fei’s blog “The Spiritual Level in Arts”, 5 September, 2007

In “Western Landscapes” series 12 years ago and current “wilderness” series, He Libin has been trying to “seek for a kind of strong self-exile”, and go back into “coldest and most lonely stage of heart” to liberate the human being’s soul from the heavy shackles of the various desires that derive from the modern material civilization, going back to the calm and natural soul stage, going into the deeper realm of human being’s life to look at themselves, then to face current realities with clearer mind.
In his works, two color modeling elements, which are flowing brushwork full of life passion and the simple black-and-white color, have the dominant position with the light and shape at its services. Shapes are fading away from highly dynamic brushworks that were distorted and rolling, “broken” but not losing its overall internal structural changes. These brushworks, which are full of life energy and touching, learned from Chinese Painting’s conception of “using ink to replace color” to display the meaning of nature by using the black-and-white color, “broken” but not losing the overall body shape, as well as rocks, treetops, and the dramatic flashing lights from the grass, which built a single and unified scene of the whole world.

In his “wilderness” series, the man’s body wrapped for a long time and the stillness of everything in the wilderness has been opened completely. Human being, as presence of the world, is linked to the whole world. The visual world that was experienced by He Libin but was often “forgotten” by the busy people has been reopened.

- Zhu Jun,”The Beard of Realism” (The Preface to “Color World” Exhibition), February, 2008

Let There Be Light

Per Johansson, who was born 1984 in Sweden, is a post-1980s artist. Different from many post-1980s artists with inhospitality and indifference, Per is a mild and modest person willing to think and communicate. Per is good at seeing the enchanting moments of the mysterious nature: the sun breaking out of a cloud, a tiny part of a lake, or some vaguely seen shadows. These parts of nature are all in some way related to light: in the ripples on the lake, in the fog, in the sky over an island, or in the twinkle below the eyelid when somebody just opens his eyes. Sometimes the light is clear and sometimes it’s vague. Different kinds of light finally become paintings: the phenomenon, the illusion and the vision of light. The phenomenon of light is Per’s observation on light and shadow in nature; the illusion of light is different pictures in his mind; and the vision of light is the spiritualized light Per experiences in prayer, within his soul.

Per has been passionate about light for many years. In the process of his observation and contemplation on light, Per transforms the light into abstract paintings on canvas. They are mainly in warm colors with an atmosphere as light as air, which brings a sense of rhythm into his paintings. Per’s depiction on light is inspired by William Turners (the forerunner of French impressionists) great accomplishments on picturing light. Different from Turner, Per omits the factors which are interrupting the natural atmosphere, such as forests, trains and bridges which often appear in Turner’s paintings. In addition, Per’s paintings are not so obviously connected to specific religious issues as Turner’s. Per focuses on the light and the reflection of light, creating a pure atmosphere of meditation for both the audiences and himself.

Per never received formal art education. He was born with his love and passion for painting. He paints by intuition and from his own experience, which makes his painting unadorned and simple. Normally Per uses black color as background and on top of this foundation he paints with warm colors to create different levels of light, which is very similar to the style of heavy color painting in Yunnan province. Due to his high ambitions, Per is still working on some technical issues, such as the grasping of drawing style and color, the building of the airy sense. All of these elements need more exquisite skills to make the pictures even more vivid.

I believe Per is a tenacious and persisting painter, very interested in the process of art creation. A metaphor can describe him: if he believes there is water underground, he will dig until water comes out. Per’s pursuit on light comes from the desire in his heart, and his natural inspiration is the dialogue between his soul and God. In this process, Per gets familiar with the phenomenon, illusion and the vision of light.

Among the so-called emerging human beings - the post 1980s people who are closer to consumption and popular culture - there are some persons who still has passion for life and enchanting scenery, which originates from the thinking on ultimate life existence. Regardless of time, human’s have always looked up gazing for the light, this search for an answer, for light and for spirit is urgent and inevitable. Therefore it’s very valuable that Per, who is such a young artist, already has reached such a high spiritual level.

Luo Fei,January 30, 2008

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