Sotheby’s presents: New Ink
An Exhibition of Ink Art by post 1970 artists from The YiQingZhai Collection 2013
Exhibition Period: 7-28 June 2013
Exhibition Venue: Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery
FOREWORD
The Yiqingzhai Collection began acquiring contemporary Chinese Ink art in the early 1990s. It has been fascinating journey following the evolution of this genre over the past two decades.
The Ink tradition is the nucleus of Chinese culture. From calligraphy, painting to philosophy and religion, it lies at the heart of all objective and expressive thinking. More than a mere visual genre, Ink art transcends conventional boundaries to define a period, an identity and a way of life. It is the fabric of China's cultural tapestry. Indispensable and tightly woven, this tapestry continues to regenerate, renew and revitalize itself. It is a living tradition that continues to evolve and adapt in modern times. As a result of this evolution, the Ink tradition remains as relevant and pertinent to Chinese culture today as it did in the Song dynasty.
The time-honoured tradition requiring decades of training to master ink art remains the revered pinnacle of this ancient art form. But the ink tradition, like everything else, must evolve and adapt in order to survive and flourish. In the 1960s & 1970s, pioneers like Lu Shoukun (1919-1975) and Liu Guosong (b.1936) unlocked the tightly guarded door of tradition and empowered a whole generation of artists to explore the possibilities of new ink art with courage and confidence. Since China embarked on reforms in the late 1970s, the forefront of innovation has naturally migrated back to the mainland, led by the top art academies across the country. The strict norms of practice and judgment have since been expanded and redefined through bold experimentation. At times, the results even go beyond any perceptible reference to the roots of the ink tradition.
None of the artists in this exhibition were born when "contemporary" ink art made its early breakthroughs in the 1960s. While they may not yet have mastered the conventional skills of ink art with many years of apprenticeship, these young artists have tried to capture the essence and spirit of the ink tradition using their own vocabulary and tools. In so doing, they collectively exemplify and at the same time become a part of the ink tradition's on-going passage of evolution, adaptation and re-interpretation, bound together by their common passion to convey and liberate the spirit of ink.
We are grateful for Henry Auyeung's insightful essay which brings fresh analytical thinking to this genre, and for Harold Mok's foreword as all eight Hong Kong artists are graduates of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, I would like to thank Sotheby's for presenting New Ink: An Exhibition of Ink Art by Post 1970 Artists from the Yiqingzhai Collection. It seems not so long ago that Patti Wong kindly introduced me to the experts at Sotheby's where I bought my very first painting at auction. Twenty years later, I am delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to exhibit a group of exciting young artists at Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery. New Ink would not have been possible without Sotheby's generous and whole-hearted support under the capable leadership of Kevin Ching. Many thanks to Patti and Kevin for their encouragement and advice, and to Angelika Li for making it all happen in just eight weeks!
We hope everyone will enjoy this exhibition as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
David Pong Chun-Yee
Yiqingzhai Collection
June 2013
