When Josh (aka: my Asian historian husband) said he had scored a VIP ticket (aka: free pass) to an Asian art exhibition at the MFA, I was torn. I love the MFA mucho mucho but Asian art ranks down there with Egyptian hieroglyphics. But, being the charming wife that I am, I faked some enthusiasm and went along. Thank God, because this exhibition blew my mind.
In a nutshell, 10 Asian artists selected a work of traditional Chinese art from the museum’s collection, then created a new piece as a personal response to the original work. According to the MFA, “This exhibition is about new art inspired by old art, and the complicated relationship between innovation and tradition.” Each new piece was exhibited alongside the traditional artwork, and each section included a synopsis from the artist about his/her experience. Every single one was brilliant. Liu Xiaodong chose the ink painting Erlang and His Soldiers Driving Out Animal Spirits from the Ming Dynasty, a cruel depiction of soldiers beating colorful animals out of a twisted forest, and created an acrylic painting of nine students speaking out against violence in American schools. Qu Bing fashioned his own style of English writing whose elongated lines and harsh angles look like Chinese calligraphy at first glance. It took me a solid 5 minutes to make out the words. But my favorite was Qin Feng’s Landscape of Civilization, which responded to the Fangyi-shaped Ritual Vessel, a pottery piece from the 11th century BC, thought to be used in religious ceremonies to offer food and wine to gods. But, that’s not known for sure, which Feng plays off of. He built an entire theatrical set for the vessel. Fat, squat, accordion-style books act as the audience, with room between the aisles for spectators to squeeze in and get a better look at the ink designs on the paper. Floor-to-ceiling scrolls decorated in images with ink made from tea and coffee serve as a backdrop to the stage in the center of the room, upon which the Vessel sits enclosed in a case, its bronze turning green with ancient aging. The Vessel is the sole performer, narrating its past and the things it has seen to us and the books in the audience.
The main thing I gleaned from this was that art doesn't just take skill. It demands genius. Art is not the simple act of drizzling watercolors onto a canvas or splaying crushed glass on a mirror. Don’t misunderstand that – I am not saying that Cubism doesn’t count as an art movement. What I’m saying is, although some art might look simplistic (i.e. oversized pieces of paper hanging cluttering up a room), the artist put considerable contemplation and elbow-grease into the piece (i.e. a muti-layered visual ode to an ancient way of life). It gave me a new respect for artists. That stuff is hard work.
Now for some bad news and good news (but mainly bad). This exhibition is closed now, as we attended on the last day. BUT you can experience each piece and the ideas behind them here, no VIP pass required: Fresh Ink: Ten Takes on Chinese Tradition
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