LOVE AIJING
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LOVE AIJING NOVEMBER 16 - DECEMBER 30, 2016
Marlborough 40 WEST 57TH STREET | NEW YORK | 10019 2 1 2 - 5 4 1 - 4 9 0 0 | M A R L B O R O U G H G A L L E R Y. C O M
AIJING AND THE DELICATE ART OF SHARING By Benjamin Genocchio
“What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing. You wouldn't be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.” David Hockney
Ai Jing has been painting for nearly two decades but her life in art spans more than 30 years, beginning with a career in music, and yet to be a successful artist today it is not enough just to be experienced. You need drive, passion and commitment to give yourself over to the idea of living a creative life. Not many people have the stamina or the strength because to make art is to share your life with the world, to praise and support, but also to judgement, which can be harsh. Those people who choose a creative life are often possessed of an inner strength. I saw that strength at Ai Jing’s studio in Beijing where I spent time observing her work. I was really observing her, looking for signs of passion and commitment to art. What I discovered was an artist who approaches making art on a daily basis as a gift to be shared with others, the gift of joy, of hope, and of beauty. The beauty and in a word, love, that flows from her paintings brings people together. In this way they are radically hopeful. Each work is created slightly differently and yet together they make an impressively coherent statement of purpose. In fact, these paintings become more complicated and profound the more you look at them. In addition to being about hope and love, Ai Jing’s gestural, glimmering, visually ebullient paintings hint at a sincere, even erudite dedication to restoring expressive painting in the art world to prominence. Ai Jing is an artist of fanciful exhibitionism but also serious intent. She is both a hippie and a revolutionary. Not surprisingly, Ai Jing rejects being categorized as an artist. She studied in the studio with Zhang Xiaogang, but does not see herself as his student. In fact asserting her own style of making art is important to her identity and confidence as an artist. It’s also important to understanding her work. In the absence of narrative or figurative content these paintings must be taken on faith. If you surrender freely to them you can bask in their hope and gentle strength. Don’t try to fight the sunlight, the beauty, the joy here - let the psychedelic daubs of color envelope and take you, let art make you happy, smiling, and strong.
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The light and love that flows from these pictures is special and has probably emanated from Ai Jing her entire life. It is what draws people to her and to her art. People who buy and admire her paintings are those that want to stand apart and beyond fashion. They are people who admire compassion, integrity and sincerity in art—these are the hallmarks of her life and her career as a musician and now a painter. It is what draws me to her and her work along with the audaciously complicated technique she uses to make her paintings and the constant experimentation with materials which forms and defines them. Everywhere you look in these pictures the colors entrap you. Looking closely at Ai Jing’s paintings they begin to break down into their material parts: they are once fleshy, viscous, thick with impasto, and yet light and soft, even ethereal. She uses paint, mica, and various other powders and substances picked up on her travels. Light and heavy are not the qualities that you would normally associate together in an artwork or person—this apparent contradiction is what makes her and her art special and seductive. Ai Jing’s greatest virtue as a painter is her ability to impart this paradoxical feeling of weightlessness. The conceptual challenge for Ai Jing is to create via form a connection with viewers through a distillation of ideas, thoughts and experiences. She wants to share. Sudden transient emotions and insights trigger a painting but the process of converting impulses into finished artwork requires myriad formal decisions. Color, scale, material, texture, are all important when it comes to creating a shared experience with the viewer, something Ai Jing does well. Notice how subtle variations in pictures alter feelings and mood. Ai Jing could paint the same kind of painting many times if she wanted too but each time they would be different because each time there is something different in her which motives her and determines her response to a canvas. It’s the part of her works that is most difficult to grasp as a viewer and as a writer to explain and understand because it is a part of her as a person. Importantly, though, it is what allows her art to progress and evolve as she evolves over time and reacts to experiences in different ways. You’ll gain more from these paintings as a viewer if you can set aside the fact that Ai Jing is Chinese. It simply isn’t relevant to their intellectual roots and art historical ancestry, nor to their interpretation and enjoyment. Today, as I see it, there are no more Chinese or for that matter American artists, just artists living and working in China or America. Ai Jing is a New York School painter, which makes perfect sense given she first began painting seriously in New York over a decade ago. She lived in SoHo, visiting artist studios and galleries dotting the neighborhood. She made music and paintings and found a new path.
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Her sensational European debut at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan in 2015, following major exhibitions in the National Museum of China and at the China Art Museum Shanghai, made it clear to all that her ambitions stretched far beyond China. The artist delighted to find herself in common cause with Leonardo da Vinci, whose painting Portrait of a Musician belongs to the Ambrosiana and shows a musician holding a sheet of paper with almost illegible musical notes on it. Ai Jing took it upon herself to decipher the melody and created a machine to play this music for the first time in history. For her, sharing this experience brought people closer together across time and space. These works insist politely but firmly, which is in many ways an apt description of Ai Jing, that viewers engage with the groundswell of thought and feeling beneath the surface. The underlying message, we come to understand, is that nothing in our lives is quite as it seems. Tranquil and calm in manner yet bubbling inside, we are given clues as to what’s happening in these paintings and are then are invited as a viewer to fill in the missing pieces, piece by piece, like clues to a puzzle.
Benjamin Genocchio (born 1969)
is an art critic and non-fiction writer from Australia. He is currently director of the Armory Show, a New York-based art fair. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Artnet News, an art news website. He also worked as an art critic for The New York Times, and then as the editor-inchief of Art+Auction magazine, Modern Painters magazine, and the website "artinfo.com".
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THE SPIRITUAL TANGLE OF LOVE By Chen Lusheng
Artists are plentiful. However, one needs wisdom to stand out or even to emerge from obscurity. Ai Jing left Shenyang and entered the art circle when she was 17. The contemporary art world has always been turbulent. Whether in Beijing, New York or Tokyo, in her characteristic ways and in different forms she always expresses her thoughts and ideal and let fly her dreams. With “My 1997” — a song she wrote and sang—Ai Jing turned the seemingly relaxed story-telling way of singing into a popular culture. It brought out what lied deep within her and connected with an important event in mainstream ideology. “My 1997” took a personal point of view when it expressed its wish for Hong Kong to revert to China. Its charm lies in its ability to address the big issue when talking about the seemingly small ones. Ai Jing’s art works are all closely related to her experience. She has come a long way and her identity keeps changing. As an artist, Ai Jing is full of dreams. She is also refined and graceful. Her art is supported by love. She has chosen to work on a topic in which mankind never tires. She dives into it and expands it, changing her languages to incorporate the characteristics of our times. Her love is delicate but not abstruse. She uses the simplest of methods even when dealing with very grand events and, as a result, the effect is real and clear. Her art is conceptual yet she does not try to confuse us with abstract concepts. She has abandoned complex structural relationships and brought us back to clear thinking. Her thoughts went from “clothing on the back of a wanderer”—fond memory of sweaters her mother made for her, to the countless “threads in loving mother’s hand” throughout time. Using love to reflect basic human ethics, she made My Mum and My Hometown, where collective consciousness is awakened and the process knitting—by her mother and other relatives—is used to reflect the love of fellow human beings. Here it is unnecessary to discuss love because it is easy to understand. Love does not need any concepts since it is straightforward and unassuming. This knitting of love might have been complicated since it required so much labor. But its true meaning is clear.
My Mom And My Hometown 2012 Installation Abandoned wool, glass fiber, reinforced plastic 236 1/4 x 629 7/8 inches; 1600 x 600 cm
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Not only is her choice of theme significant, her conceptual expression is also unique. It is about love again, and this time environmental and survival issues have caught her attention. She looks painfully to a bleak future. The throwaway chopsticks are made of wood and therefore of trees from the forest. Wasting chopsticks is equivalent to killing trees and forest that could lead to destruction of environment. Ai Jing made a big tree with a height of three and a half meters, using tens of thousands of throwaway chopsticks. A black crow, perched on the branches, is ominous. If The Tree of Life is a knitting of concepts, then the conceptual framework behind Pieces is simpler and more straightforward, just as the board pieces themselves. But here multiple interpretations are allowed and there is more cultural content. It could allude to complex social relations, life and career arrangement, or even war strategies, all of which have starts and
ends as in a game of Go. They all need to be planned, dealt with, fought and responded to. The conceptualization of art is as unpredictable as a game of Go, too. Again, Ai Jing successfully tackled a huge and complicated task in her small and simple way. Ai Jing has a special sensitivity toward materials and this is another one of her characteristics. Throwaway chopsticks, yarn of old sweaters, or hand-forged copper — all correspond to her theme and are the result of her deliberate choice and careful thinking. There are many less expensive materials other than copper available, but Ai Jing is persistent in her pursuit of refinement. She is concerned with the best way to achieve perfection in both
Pieces 2010 Installation: 30 pieces in black and white copper, stove varnish 35 3/8 x 35 3/8 x 13 inches; 90 x 90 x 33 cm
Tree of Life 2010 Installation Disposable chopsticks, Comprehensive materials 173 3/4 x 173 3/4 inches; 350 x 350 cm
artistic effect and psychological comfort that are in line with her concept. The choice of old vs. new material is also deliberate. The “new” of throwaway chopsticks is a warning of the world’s all-too-real problems. The “old” of old sweaters and sweatpants is to remind us of the warmth of past years—and of love itself. Materiality becomes the essence of each work. Ai Jing’s love of creating has determined her attitude toward art. She goes through great pains to achieve a kind of rapport between concept and material. She spares no effort when creating art works. She uses love to protect art and thus makes her contribution to contemporary Chinese art. Her art—like her love—has no borders.
CHEN Lusheng
Ex-Deputy Director of National Museum of China, Researcher of National Museum of China, Art historian, Curator, Painter and Calligrapher
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I Love Color #14 2015 oil on canvas 50 × 43 cm 19 3/4 × 16 7/8 in 10
I Love Color #15
2015 oil on canvas 50 × 43 cm 19 3/4 × 16 7/8 in 11
I Love Color #16
2015 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 12
I Love Color #17
2015 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 13
I Love Color #18
2015-2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 176 cm 35 3/8 × 69 1/4 in 14
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I Love Color #20
2015 - 2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 110 cm 35 3/8 × 43 1/4 in 16
I Love Color #19
2015 - 2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 110 cm 35 3/8 × 43 1/4 in 17
I Love Color #22
2015 - 2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 110 cm 35 3/8 × 43 1/4 in 18
I Love Color #21
2015 - 2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 110 cm 35 3/8 × 43 1/4 in 19
I Love Color #25
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 147 × 147 cm 57 7/8 × 57 7/8 in 20
I Love Color #23
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 147 × 147 cm 57 7/8 × 57 7/8 in 21
I Love Color #26
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 147 × 147 cm 57 7/8 × 57 7/8 in 22
I Love Color #28
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 147 × 147 cm 57 7/8 × 57 7/8 in 23
I Love Color #29
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 24
I Love Color #30
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 25
I Love Color #31 2016 oil on canvas 175 × 175 cm 68 7/8 × 68 7/8 in 26
I Love Color #32
2016 oil on canvas 175 × 175 cm 68 7/8 × 68 7/8 in 27
I Love Color #33
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 50 × 42 cm 19 3/4 × 16 1/2 in 28
I Love Color #34
2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 50 × 42 cm 19 3/4 × 16 1/2 in 29
I Love #1
2016 oil on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 30
I Love #2
2016 oil on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 31
I Love #3
2016 oil on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 32
I Love #4
2016 oil on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 33
Aijing's exhibition Love Aijing at China Art Museum of Shanghai in 2014 34
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Walking in the Sun #4 2015 oil on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 36
Walking in the Sun #5
2016 oil and oil sticks on canvas 90 × 90 cm 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in 37
Walking in the Sun #6 2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 176 cm 35 3/8 × 69 1/4 in 38
Walking in the Sun #7 2016 oil & oil sticks on canvas 90 × 176 cm 35 3/8 × 69 1/4 in 40
Time Zone
2015-2016 oil & oil sticks, mica flakes, various colored leaves on canvas diameter: 210 cm / 82 5/8 in 42
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I Love Heavy Metal
2016 stainless steel (gold color) length: 198 cm, 78 in
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I Love Heavy Metal
2016 stainless steel (silver color) length: 198 cm, 78 in
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AI JING A native of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, Ai Jing is a Chinese contemporary artist whose fame started as a star singersongwriter. She has produced five albums of her own music as well as several EP albums and singles. She began her art career in 2007 and since then has become an accomplished artist with solo shows in China, Europe, and New York. During the 90’s, Ai Jing’s unique musical style was popular throughout Asia. Known as China’s most talented folk singer, her Mandarin songs have broken records for overseas sales and she has staged several successful concert performances in Japan and other countries. In 2004, The Writers Publishing House published “Ai On the Road”, a collection of essays showcasing her literary talents. In addition, Ai Jing has written columns for well-known magazines in Japan and in China. In 2014, Ai Jing’s new book “Struggle” was published by People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. “Struggle” keeps a journal of Ai Jing’s personal growth, her time in New York and her artistic creation. In 1999, Ai Jing took up painting and studied with contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang. She then moved to New York to study contemporary art. In 2007 she began to take part in art exhibitions as a professional artist and held her first solo show “ALL ABOUT LOVE” at the Today Art Museum in Beijing in 2008. In 2009 her solo exhibition “AI WANT TO LOVE” opened in New York. In 2010, Ai took part in the exhibition “RESHAPING HISTORY” with her installation “Tree of Life.” In September 2011, Ai’s painting series “LOVE” was collected by DSL Collection in France. In 2012, she held her solo exhibition “I LOVE AIJING: the Complete Works of Ai Jing” in Beijing at the National Museum of China. The National Museum then added her sculpture “The Wave” to its collection in 2013. In May 2014, “LOVE AIJING: Love of Ai Jing” was the first contemporary art exhibition at the newly opened China Art Museum of Shanghai. Ai Jing’s most recent solo exhibition “DIALOGUES” opened at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Italy in 2015. She continues to participate in group exhibitions with fellow Chinese artists such as the “Fervent China”, a monumental sculpture exhibition in Mons, Belgium in 2015 and most recently “Echo of Civilization: Crossing Dunhuang” at the Imperial Ancestral Temple Museum in Beijing, China in 2016. Selected Songs: “My 1997”, “Once Upon a Time in Yanfen Street”, “Chasing the Moon”, “Made in China”, “Is It a Dream”, “New York, New York”, “Question & Answer”, “ My Love” Selected Art Works: “Baby I Love You”, “Tree of Life”, “My Mother and my Hometown”, “ Flowers Behind Every Door “, “Pieces”, “Guns & Roses”, “ Waves ”
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GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2016 Echo of Civilization: Crossing Dunhuang, at the Imperial Ancestral Temple Art Museum, Beijing, China 2015 La Chine Ardent, Mons, Belgium 2010 RESHAPING HISTORY: Chinart from 2000 to 2009, China National Convention Center, Beijing, China Genesis, Beijing 798 Art Community-Cascade Art Center, Beijing, China Transition, Seventh Art Center, Wenzhou, China 2009 Chinese Art, 102 Images Gallery, New York, New York Meeting a Friend Again in the Fallen Petal Season, Jiesen Gallery, Beijing, China 2012 + THE DROP: NYC URBAN ART INFILL, The Drop NYC, New York, New York China in Chelsea, China Square Gallery, New York, New York 2007 Premonition, J & Z Gallery, Shenzhen, China
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2015 DIALOGUES, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, Italy 2014 LOVE AIJING, China Art Museum Shanghai, China LOVE AIJING, Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai, China 2012 I LOVE AIJING, National Museum of China, Beijing, China 2009 Love in Shanghai 2009, HWA’s Gallery, Shanghai, China I Want to Love, China Square Gallery, New York, New York 2008 All About Love, Today Art Musuem, Beijing, China
COLLECTIONS DSL Collection, France National Museum of China, Beijing, China
CATALOGUES AND MONOGRAPHS 2015 Dialogues, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China 2014 I Love Color, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China Ai Jing and her friends, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China Struggle, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China 2012 I Love: Ai Jing, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China 2004 Ai on the Road, Writers Publishing House, Beijing, China
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LOVE AIJING 40 WEST 57TH STREET | NEW YORK | 10019 2 1 2 - 5 4 1 - 4 9 0 0 | M A R L B O R O U G H G A L L E R Y. C O M 48