Beijing, 9 February 2012, Art Media Agency (AMA).
The Yishu 8 association has released its exhibition programme for the next twelve months in conjunction with the opening of the Beijing Contemporary Art House which is scheduled to take place on 26 March 2012.
25 March to 5 May 2012, “France-Chine 1912 – 2012, un siècle de dialogue”.
The year 1912 has not been chosen by accident. This year marked the end of Qing Dynasty and proclamation of the Chinese Republic by Sun Yat-sen. This exhibition is organised in collaboration with Duanmu Mei, professor of history and director of the department of the study of French and Swiss History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Jacques Dumasy, the former French Consul-general in Chengdu.
This exhibition presents the history of the great humanitarian and intellectual movements that have grown between France and China over the past one hundred years, ranging from the first “work-study” associations, set up in order to encourage Chinese students to study in France, to the employment of Chinese workers in French firearms factories during the first world war, to the setting up of the Franco-Chinese Institute in Lyon in 1921, many documents of which are still kept by the city’s archives.
The show will primarily display the work of chinese artists trained in France such as Xu Beihong (sometimes rendered ‘Jupéon’: 1895-1953), famous for his paintings of horses, mixing painting, ink and classical Chinese and western styles. Sanyu (1901-1963), known for his monumental works, Lin Fengmian (1900-1991), contemporary art theorist Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010), Zao Wou-ki (1920 – ) and Chu Teh-chun (1920-) will also feature in the exhibition.
21 May to 5 July 2012, “Tradition et Innovation aujourd’hui”, with Li Xin and Shao Fan.
Born in 1973, Beijing Central Institute of Decorative Arts graduate Li Xin is a regular contributor to Yishu 8. He has already exhibited twice at the association’s former premises, with “The Quiet Garden” in 2009 and “l’Ecriture de l’eau” in 2010. Through his modern, calligraphy inspired style of painting, the art of writing and from nature, his stated aim is to “create a dialogue between the earth and the heavens”. He has had numerous exhibitions in France - at the Cathay gallery in 2004 and 2005 and at the Chinese Cultural Space in 2009, as well a in China and Taiwan.
Shao fan was born in Beijing in 1964. He works in a broad range of mediums: design, painting, sculpture and multimedia. A graduate of Beijing Arts and Craft College, he is known for his series of chairs which were exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Through these objects, he dealt with questions related to economic development and the transformation of China. He also aims to promote a critical discourse about fraudulent practices, such as the production of fake antiques.
25 August to 1 October 2012, “Ba Jin et Zola, l’engagement littéraire”.
Ba Jin, who was born Li Yaotang (1904-2005) visited France from 1927-28, notably spending time at Château-Thierry and in Paris. His oeuvre was influenced by anarchist Russian writers Mikhail Bakunin and Pyotr Kropotkin, as well as by 18th century French philosophy, French revolutionary thinkers Marat and Robespierre and writers Victor Hugo and Romain Rolland.
Ba Jin discovered Zola just before leaving France, and says that he read all eight volumes of “Rougon-Macquart” on the voayge back to China. He would take inspiration from Zola’s “J’accuse” (I accuse) concept in his novel The Family (1937), wherein he launches an attack on the traditional Chinese family. The exhibition aims to reciprocal respect between the two authors.
15 October to 25 Novemebr 2012, “Xie Lei, ou le retour à la peinture”
Born in Huainan in 1983, Xie Lei moved to Paris after finishing his studies at the Beijing Central Academy for Fine Arts (CAFA) and the Paris École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts. His painting aims to be universal, carrying traces of Chinese classical styles, yet still remaining difficult to define. Xie Lei is highly regarded for his mastery of tones, as well as for dealing with the themes of temporality. He subtly plays with the figurative and the abstract in his work, which often has elements of humour. Xie Lei has already exhibited at the FIAC, at the Armory show, as well as at the Villepoix Gallery. He is known for his portraits, which have been exhibited at the Beijing Museum of Arts.
10 December 2012 to 15 January 2013, “Lou Zhenggang, la signification mise en relief”
Lou Zhenggang was born in 1966 and began her career as a calligrapher at the age of twelve. Having completed her training Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts, she started out on what would become an international career. She is well-known in Japan, where she now lives and works. Known for her use of the “Kuangcao” style, she explores the roots of Chinese culture through a free style wherein the meaning has precedence over the form. Lou Zhenggang all looks to create a dialogue between Sino-Japanese calligraphy a western culture. For this exhibition she will take inspiration from texts by authors such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Mallarmé.