China in the mirror of time – art from 5 millennia
09/20/2014 – 03/01/2015
“Unique, versatile, subtle… The Chinese artists show what one cannot expect from the outside. Great exhibition!”
The confrontation of traditional and modern art is what makes this exhibition particularly appealing. Become part of this stimulating encounter between past and present, Far Eastern and Western tradition!
The exhibition features excellent clay and porcelain exhibits from the main imperial dynasties: Han (206 BC – 220 AD), Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911). In addition to the artistically crafted Ming porcelain and the “Famille Rose Vases” , a special piece is a Neolithic vessel with a human head from the Majiao Yao culture (4500-2300 BC).
They are juxtaposed and connected by the material porcelain, sculptures and paintings by contemporary Chinese artists. Ai Weiwei (born 1957 in Beijing), for example, one of the best-known contemporary Chinese artists and critics of the regime, is represented with his ceramic “Rock”. In glazed white porcelain, he stylizes Taihu stones that traditionally adorn Chinese gardens and are highly revered. Cloud ornaments in dark cobalt blue indicate the reflection of the sky. In the summer of 2014, the artist also attracted thousands of visitors to the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin with a political work.
The exhibition CHINA IN THE MIRROR OF TIME shows insights into the multifaceted art and culture of China, combines opposites and draws attention to references within the great time span of 5 millennia .
The Porcelain Figures and Clouds Vase was commissioned by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795). The fascinating “breakthrough work” shows the struggle for the three empires at the time of the fall of the Han dynasty (200) on its relief-like surface.
In his mixed media paintings, Xuan Wang (*1979, Guangxi) creates surreal spaces at the highest level. He combines motifs from Chinese and European art history and fragments of still lifes, portraits and genre scenes into complex, stage-like visual worlds. Wang studied in Nanning/ China and at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe with Prof. Erwin Gross (master student). In 2012 he received a graduate grant from the state of Baden-Württemberg, and in 2014 a grant from the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg.