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Out of Ink

Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art

April 11 - July 28, 2019

Out of Ink: Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art explored the essential ideals of the ink painting tradition as manifest in the work of 13 contemporary artists at work in China. Their art does not necessarily rely upon conventional materials – ink, paper, or brush – but encapsulates the cultural spirit of ink. The experimental forms of expression that underscores their practice are a prism through which to understand how artists are rethinking the conventions of ink to forge new ties to the present cultural context, and enrich this weighty tradition in the process.

The exhibition curated by Karen Smith echoed content familiarly seen in ink painting, such as landscapes or natural forms, as single or juxtaposed elements from the natural world, as well as the role of calligraphy. These revealed the spirit of ink, a core value that is its most enduring esoteric quality, yet, none of the artists presented here claim to be ink artists. Instead they work with, appropriate, manipulate, or deconstruct, the spiritual and aesthetic ethos of “ink” as cultural metaphor, philosophical system, and as understanding of relationship between man and the physical world of form and space. In their respective ways, each artist makes a contribution to the future possibilities of a medium that has been the dynamic pulse of the nation’s culture through China’s long civilization.

Participating artists are Xu Bing, Chen Haiyan, Jian-Jun Zhang, Xing Danwen, Luo Yongjin, Sun Yanchu, Qiu Anxiong, Li Ming, Xu Hongming, Chen Guangwu, Liang Wei, Zhou Fan, and Tang Bohua.

Exhibition Catalogue

Out of Ink

Out of Ink

Out of Ink: Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art explored the essential ideals of the ink painting tradition as manifest in the work of 13 contemporary artists at work in China. Their art does not necessarily rely upon conventional materials – ink, paper, or brush – but encapsulates the cultural spirit of ink. The experimental forms of expression that underscores their practice are a prism through which to understand how artists are rethinking the conventions of ink to forge new ties to the present cultural context, and enrich this weighty tradition in the process.

"Out of Ink" <br>  Karen Smith, Tang Bohua, Jian-Jun Zhang, Zhou Fan

"Out of Ink"
Karen Smith, Tang Bohua, Jian-Jun Zhang, Zhou Fan

As part of the exhibition Out of Ink: Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art, Pera Museum presents a talk by the curator Karen Smith in conversation with the artists Tang Bohua, Jian-Jun Zhang and Zhou Fan.

 

Beth McKillop <br>"Ink in China"

Beth McKillop
"Ink in China"

As part of the exhibition Out of Ink: Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art, Pera Museum presents a talk by the academic and curator Beth McKillop, who contributed to the exhibition’s catalogue with an essay. 

Xu Bing<br>Background Story: Summer Mountains

Xu Bing
Background Story: Summer Mountains

As part of the exhibition “Out of Ink: Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art”, Pera Museum presents a talk by the artist Xu Bing, who participates in the exhibition with his installation Background Story: Summer Mountains.

Movement of the Line / Line of the Movement: Web <br>Taldans

Movement of the Line / Line of the Movement: Web
Taldans

Pera Museum presents Movement of the Line / Line of the Movement, a workshop-performance program that will be held at the exhibition floor as part of the Out of Ink: Interpretations from Chinese Contemporary Art exhibit. 

Video

In the Mood for Chinese Cinema

In the Mood for Chinese Cinema provides a composite, contemporary perspective on movies made in and about China in recent years.


From two portraits of children…

From two portraits of children…

The Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation’s Orientalist Painting Collection includes two children’s portraits that are often featured in exhibitions on the second floor of the Pera Museum. These portraits both date back to the early 20th century, and were made four years apart. One depicts Prince Abdürrahim Efendi, son of Sultan Abdulhamid II, while the figure portrayed on the other is Nazlı, the daughter of Osman Hamdi Bey.

At the Order of the Padishah

At the Order of the Padishah

In this piece, Żmurko presents an exotic image of a harem chamber, replete with gleaming fabrics and scattered jewels, as a setting for the statuesquely beautiful body of an odalisque murdered “at the order of the padishah”. 

Memory of Objects

Memory of Objects

In his book exploring the cultural history of souvenirs, Rolf Potts discusses how such objects assume meaning through personal stories: Objects turn into memories with the stories they hold.