Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture
Yang Xifa Exhibition: Universe in Coins 《幣 "見" 乾 坤》
17 February–23 April 2021 Ground Floor, Building EA, Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture, Western Sydney University, Parramatta South campus Monday–Friday: 10.00am–3.00pm
Yang Xifa Exhibition: Universe in Coins 《幣 "見" 乾 坤》
ABOUT THE ARTIST
ARTIST STATEMENT
Dr Yang Xifa was born in Tianjin, China. He received his Bachelor in fine arts from Tianjin College of Fine Arts in 1989 and his Master’s degree from Tianjin University in 1998. In 2010, he was awarded a PhD from Nankai University. He is a professor of oriental art at Nankai University.
When Universe in Coins is opened in 2021, the world must still be shrouded in the shadow of COVID-19 epidemic. Invisible and invasive viruses are plaguing the world. There are many other invisible matters that undoubtedly affect our lives, such as carbon dioxide, human insatiable desires, emotions such as confusion and anxiety and sense of absurdity. And on top of all that, the trade wars around the world are in full swing. The invisible microcosm and metaphysical spirit are always influencing visual art creation. Artists live in the present reality which is the source of creation.
Since 1998, Dr Yang has been living and working in Australia and China. He has had solo and group exhibitions in China, Australia and Japan. His latest exhibitions include group exhibition Precious Treasures at Incinerator Art Space in 2021, Pulse of the Dragon at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in 2020, Xifa Yang Exhibition at Live in Art Gallery, Sydney 2020, Paper & Ink Language at Nanjing Ink Art Biennial 2019 in China and Capital Theory series at Exclamation Art Space Gallery in Beijing 798, China. Dr Yang is known for his bold exploration in combining traditional Chinese painting with contemporary art experiment. His artwork often contrasts different elements so as to convey a strong sense of shock to viewers. His imagination crosses space, time, continents and cultures. Through his art, he pursues philosophical and metaphysical inquisition into human existence.
The theme of this exhibition is related to the era of chasing economy of consumption, and it presents personal perceptions of materials and coins as currency. In today’s world, everything is related to capital in one way or the other on almost all levels. Focusing on the truth and illusion hidden behind the “currency”, the series will prompt viewers to come up with their own opinions and stories of different flavours. This exhibition wants to explore the state of human existence. We are in such a rapid advancement of biotechnology and digital technology. I would like, through my artwork, to channel the ultimate questions of life, including where we came from, who we are, and where we will be going. This is also clearly expressed in the painting In Dialogue with Gauguin. In summary, I hope the exhibition will bring viewers power of imagination, philosophical perceptions and inquisitions into human existence.
FOREWORD Visitors to Yang Xifa’s Universe in Coins are first captured by the vibrant colours of the artworks on display, including dark black, bright red, deep blue and green, and the rich gold. Closer examination reveals a variety of icons and symbols depicted in dramatic and exaggerated styles. Together, they create a very powerful visual effect evoking sense of anxiety, nostalgia, and putridity. The large canvases of the multi-panel painting entitled In dialogue with Gauguin – Where did we come from? Who are we? Where will we be going are cloaked in a brilliant red made from the powered mineral cinnabar, zhu sha. The resource is, perhaps fittingly, associated with volcanic activity. In China it has been used widely not only in decorative art since prehistorical times, but also as a common remedy in Chinese herbal medicine for centuries. It is supposed to control nervousness, insomnia or other symptoms related to the heart or emotions. Chinese people also believe that cinnabar can help chase evil away. In Daoist alchemical practice, cinnabar and gold are the two most important ingredients in jindan, a longevity pill. Within this vermilion red, viewers can also see dense ink used to paint fighter jets flying in the smoke. The contrast between the red and black against several patches of a white background creates a great tension of the scenery. In addition to the colours, Yang painted hundreds of human figures with despairing expressions and struggling body language - as well as other symbols and iconography - to depict a chaotic scene, almost like the end of the world. These include the diagrams of Hetu Luoshu, i.e. Yellow River Chart and Inscription of the River Luo, two cosmological diagrams used in ancient China for divination, at the head of the large aeroplane, and the motifs of the long-tusked mammoth, the dragon and the turtle. They all remind us of the past, while the test tubes and other scientific devices indicate the modern era.
Thadée Natanson said this about Gauguin’s painting, Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?: “inviting us to meditate upon the mystery of our destiny”. Yang shows us his imagination, thinking and concerns about humans’ origin, purpose and destiny. Thousands of years have passed but even with the help of old wisdom and modern technology, we are still looking for answers to these perennial questions. Are we ever going to find satisfactory answers? A group of artworks in this exhibition takes on another central theme of human life, namely, money. Yang chose ancient coins to anchor his observations and philosophical thoughts in how money has had a profound impact on every aspect of people’s life throughout history. Being a member of China Numismatic Society, he enjoyed good access and knowledge of ancient Chinese coins, so he could apply them into his art works. In his paintings of the Capital Theory Series, the deep blue and green qinglü are mixed with ochre and ink to create both colours and textures that easily remind viewers of the patinas found on ancient Chinese bronzes coins that have been buried for thousands of years. Yang uses one type of old coins, bubi, which were popular during the Easter Zhou period (771-256 BCE) in these paintings. He deploys them as a backdrop on which he painted nudes with grotesque shapes, arousing the sense of decay and erosion that one may associate with over-consumption of capitalism. YIN CAO Curator of Chinese Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales
WORDS FROM GUAN WEI Dr Yang Xifa is a scholarly artist. He has a PhD degree and has been a university professor. He is learned and has a deep knowledge of Western and Chinese art histories. His artistic specialty lies in Chinese ink wash painting and contemporary elaborate-style painting. His early artwork featuring red nude paintings is known for its distinctive and individualistic style and its strong social impact. Having been commuting between China and Australia for many years, he has been greatly influenced by Western contemporary art. From the beginning of 2000, he took bold and innovative approaches to his art and re-emerged from his academic ivory tower. Facing a great variety and diversity of contemporary life experiences, he went through a self-reflection of his artistic creation. Through a period of bold experiments and consistent effort, he has created a completely new series entitled Capital Theory Series. In the Capital Theory Series, he engages his masterful technique of ink wash painting and uses ancient coins in China and from western world as his inspiration of creation. Applying modern iconology, he extracts images from ancient coins, then re-composes and re-constructs them from the perspectives of history, sociology and psychology. By doing that, he channels contemplations on people’s various attitudes towards coin, or currency, its position, function and relations with humankind and society. This series is both powerful and provocative. Ancient coins are iconic items of history. They are not only cultural symbols, but also embody a kind of internal transcendence. They represent mythical consciousness, social functions and individual desires. They also have some magic power which pulls seemingly
random things together. Capital Theory Series also conveys a strong sense of beauty.
杨熹发是一位学者型的艺术家。他一直在学院里教学，并拥有博士、 教授的头衔。他学识深厚，通晓中外美术史，擅长中国水墨画和当代工 笔。特别是他早期独创的红色人体，独树一帜，具有很强的个人风格和 社会的影响力。 由于多年往返澳大利亚，在中国与澳大利亚两地生活与工作，他特别受 到了西方当代艺术的影响。2000年初，他对自己的绘画进行了大胆的改 革与创新，从学院的精致的象牙塔中走了出来。面对当代丰富的生活体 验，重新思考自己的艺术之路。经过不断地偿试，实验创新的努力，创出 了自己一个新的天地《资本论》系列组画。 《资本论》是运用了他娴熟的水墨写意的技法，并以中、西古代钱币作 为创作的灵感。利用当代＂图像学＂中的方法，把古钱币抽离出来，再从 历史学、社会学、和心理学的层面加以深度解构与重组，并赋予了当代 世俗生活中对钱币的种种形态、功能、和与人、社会关系上的思考。创作 大气又值得深思。 古钱币具有历史偶像的物品，它不仅是一种文化符号，还象征着一种内 在的超越。现实中的幻想，神话中的意识，社会的功能，个人的欲望都在 其中存活。它具有一种魔性，使得世界其余部分都围绕着它。《资本论》 系列作品还有一种很强的美感。 关伟
In Dialogue with Gauguin – Where Did We Come from? Who Are We? Where Will We Be Going?
《对话高更》: 我们从何处来？我们是谁？我们向何处去？ 2016 174cmx465cm ink and rice paper (sheng xuan), cinnabar
The giant aeroplane on the canvas represents the earth which carries humankind, floating in the vast space without knowing where it is heading for. In the painting, the ancient River Map and Luo Chart as well as the dragon totem are unique symbols of cultural memory in the history of China. Juxtaposing them with contemporary high tech products, common items in daily life and symbols of rules and directions shared in the same living space touches on various issues in the progress of human civilisation. The painting attempts to reflect the relationship between humans and animals in this global village as well as the human reality involving the sense of absurdity, phobia, insanity, hysteria, loss of gravity and despair. The artist, through the unique use of traditional Chinese materials such as raw rice paper, cinnabar pigments and ink, expresses his observation and thinking of human condition.
大飞机寓意地球在浩渺的太空漂浮，承载着人类不知去向何方。画面中 河图洛书、图腾龙是东方特有的文化记忆符号,它与当代科技发明产品、 日常生活用品以及在这个共同生存空间里的指示、规则的符号运用，触 及了人类文明史进程中的种种问题。试图反映今天地球村人与动物、人 与人内心状态，荒诞、恐惧、变态、疯狂、失重、无奈的现实。 此画使用 生宣、朱砂（中药）、墨等东方古老材料，用独特技法表达个人对当下人 类生存环境的思考。
Calligraphy: Universe in Coins《幣 "見" 乾 坤》2019 172cm x 60cm ink and rice paper (sheng xuan) The English translation of the text of calligraphy is provided in Capital Theory Series 《资本论系列作品》
CAPITAL THEORY SERIES 《资本论系列作品》 This series is on reflections drawn from and through ancient coins. If we look through the history of civilisation, we can see that among all the things created by human beings, “coins” are the only item that transcends race, culture, religion, politics, military and economic systems and is also the universal love of mankind. “Coins” represent the source of happiness for people around the world, ancient and contemporary, as well as the source of evil. In the world that is full of conflicts and antagonism, it is worth observing the universal attitude towards “coins”. “Coins” are not only closely linked to life necessities, but also associated with the spiritual world. This series, through the exploration of in-depth meaning of “coins”, intends to reveal the human longing to break free from material restraints and achieve the freedom of soul. 《资本论系列作品》 是有关钱币的思考。纵观人类 史，当今世界人类所创造的一切文明，唯有＂钱币＂可 以超越种族、文化、宗教、政治、军事、经济模式的差 异与不同而成为人类共同的挚爱。更成为当今人们生 活，幸福的基础与邪恶的源泉。在这个充满矛盾、冲 突、对抗的世界中，人类对钱币的共同态度值得关注。 钱币不仅与生存所必须的物质有关，更与精神相关连。 通过对钱币内在深层的揭示，祈望人类借以摆脱物质 的束缚而走向心灵的自由。
Capital Theory Series: Ancient European Coin 《资本论·古欧币》 2019 165cm x 95cm ink and rice paper (sheng xuan)
The forbidden fruit, cunning snake and hands of desire are presented in this metal coin is like in the Garden of Eden. In the meantime, there is a sense of absurdity around the majesty of the goddess of justice. The cross looks like a sword piercing the coin. 金属钱币里呈现出诱惑的禁果、狡猾的蛇、欲望之手犹如伊甸园。同时 正义女神显现威严同样的荒诞。旁边十字架又象一把利剑刺向金钱。
Capital Theory Series: Spade shaped Coin #1 and #2
《资本论·布币》之一，之二 2020 56cm x102cm ink and rice paper (sheng xuan) Spade shaped coins that were the currency of more than 2,000 BC and represent the concept of capital 2000 years later in today’s world serve as the two ends of the symmetry of time. The dialogue between the two ends brings up the thought of cultural changes in the passage of time. 布币，公元前二千多年的货币，公元 后二千多年今天的资本概念，恰似一 个对称时间的两端。历史对话，文化 的变迁，感慨犹然！
Capital Theory Series: Ancient Coins #1, #2 and #3 2020 56cm x 102cm ink and rice paper (sheng xuan) This series is set against the backdrop of ancient coins. A relatively closed space is formed, representing a wall separating the warmth and softness of the heart and the coldness and rigidness of capital rules. Figures out of shape walk out of the coins, dancing, entangling and watching. Behind the wall, some objects are peeking, floating and flying across the screen. The series creates a scene of dream and absurdity. 《资本论》系列 之一，之二，之三以古币为背景。形成相对封闭的空间， 犹如一堵墙将内心的温暖柔软与与冷冰冰的资本规则分离阻隔。变形 的人物走出钱币，舞蹈、纠缠、观望。墙后莫名的偷窥、漂浮、飞翔穿越 画面，仿佛幻化出梦境与荒诞。
Gold painted Stones Gallery Installations.
This exhibition is proudly curated, presented and produced by Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University Curator: Monica McMahon Producer: Jing Han Assistant Producer: Lina Gong Brochure Design: Baden Chant
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