Super Natural Exhibition

Li Shan's silicon sculptures of human figures merged with the head and wings of dragonflies adorn the main space of the Super Natural exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery. 

Titled 'Deviation 2017' Li Shan is commenting on the destructive nature of humans and exploring ideas about 'new and better life forms'.

Ocean of Cloth Wheels + Floating Islands, 2013-16 by Yang Wei-Lin are cotton cloth, indigo dye, ramie thread, paperclips and blank optical disks gracefully string around a white room.

It was my favourite installation in the exhibition.

The disks and threads moved gently with the air con creating a wave like motion that was peaceful and calming.

I'm often fascinated by the artistic intent behind seemingly simple, elegant pieces of art.

The bio accompanying He Sen's two oil paintings gave me lots of food for thought.

"He Sen transitioned to a painterly examination of Chinese history and culture. He sourced imagery from Chinese literary and artistic history, appropriating classical paintings by ink masters such as Li Shan, Ma Yuan, and Xu Wei. Reproducing elements of iconic Chinese works in oil paint rather than ink, and embedding western painting conventions into the iconography of ‘gong bi’realism and ink painting, He Sen turned from a focus on the impact of society on the individual to an examination of Chinese culture more broadly."

"He Sen began to question the distinctions between eastern and western aesthetics, and to consider ways to bridge these seemingly opposed visual languages. Aware that these works will be ‘read’ and interpreted differently by Chinese and western audiences, and conscious of the complex history of ‘guohua’ (literally, ‘national painting’ — and generally understood to refer to ink painting), He Sen considers the relationship between painting and cultural identity."

Lotus leaf + Flower 2013 and Lake Rockery 2012 by He Sen

 This post is part of Saturday Snapshot.