INK E X TR AORDINAIREFAN SHAO HUA | LIU GUO | GUI ZHAO HAI

AN E XH I B IT ION BY A S IA ART COLLECTIVE

10 APRIL - 18 APRIL 2015 | ION ART GALLERY

INK E X TR AOR DINAIREFAN SHAO HUA | LIU GUO | GUI ZHAO HAI

Exh ib i t ion Open ingSaturday, 11th Apr i l 2015 , 3 :30pm

Guided Exh ib i t ion Tour & For um: Mount ing & Conser vat ion of Ch inese Ink Pa in t ing w i th L i ve Demons t r a t ion

Saturday, 11th Apr i l 2015 , 3 :45pm-5pm(Sess ion i s conduc ted in Eng l i sh & Mandar in)

Tea Recept ion i s se r ved .RSVP to in fo@as ia a r tco l lec t i ve .comor ca l l 6733 -2155 / 90 05 - 6716 to reg i s te r.

PROG R AMME H IG HL IG HTS

Fan Shao Hua. At Work, 1996.

Painting on cover: Fan Shao Hua. Early Settlers in Singapore, 1996.

展 览 开 幕

星 期 六，4 月1 1日，下 午 3 点 半

展 览导览 &

水 墨画托 裱 及修 复讲座 与示 范

星 期 六，2 0 1 5 年 4 月1 1日，

下 午 3 时 4 5 分 至 下 午 5 时

茶 点 招 待 。

请电邮至 i n fo@as ia a r tco l lec t i ve .com或 致电 67 33 -2155 / 9 0 0 5 - 6716 报名参加。

Ink Extraordinaire by Fan Shao Hua, Liu Guo & Gui Zhao Hai runs from 10 April 2015 to 18 April 2015, from 11am to 10pm daily at ION Art Gallery, Level 4 ION Orchard.

《 墨 魂 － 范 少 华 、 刘 国 、 桂 兆 海 》 展 览 将 从 2 0 1 5 年 4 月 1 0 日 至 4 月 1 8 日 举 行 ，

每 日 从 早 上 1 1 点 至 晚 上 1 0 点 开 放 。

《 墨 魂 － 范 少 华 、 刘 国 、 桂 兆 海 》

活 动内容

1

Fan Shao Hua (b. 1963 Guangzhou, China) is an ar tist based in Singapore since 1992. Fan star ted to learn ink painting at the age of ten, under the Guangdong master Lu Yanguang and studied both Western and Chinese painting since he was in secondary school. Fan graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China in 1985, and first began his career as an ar t teacher in the university. Fan migrated to Singapore in 1992, where he developed his career as a full-time ar tist. Being taught the foundation of both Chinese ink and Western oil painting, Fan has a deep understanding of both mediums, and has developed a unique style in his painting.

During the first few years of his relocation to Singapore, he was inquisitive of the new environment before him, and grew a strong interest and sensitivity to the local sights and sounds before him. With a keen observation, Fan captures familiar scenes and personalities of our neighbourhood and presents skillfully with his ink and brush. Portraying an aged lady self-absorbed in her daily chores as a vegetable seller, the ar tist creates unique frames out of common scenes of people and places open to our interpretation.

Understanding Singapore’s recent history and inspired by stories of her nation-building and struggles, Fan was emphathetic to the hardship faced by Singapore’s early settlers – the Samsui woman and coolies. Fan visited the Samsui woman in their hometown in Lanshui, Guangdong, and painted their portraits. The moments of hardship, struggle and dignity can be seen in these faces, a testament to the ar tist’s skill and observation. Recognised for his ability in the genres of social realism and portraiture, Fan has a talent for capturing not only the likeness, but also the inner character and spirit of his subject.

INK EXTRAORDINAIRE presents a debut of a whole series of Fan Shao Hua’s social realist ink works from the nineties. His street scenes bring to life the moments of both old and new Singapore, through his use of perspective, light and depth. The use of detail adds another layer of narrative, preserving the stories of Singapore’s development and progress. Fan Shao Hua won the First Prize in the 19th UOB Painting of the Year Award Competition in 2000, and is the first Singaporean ar tist to exhibit in all three major museums in China, at the National Art Museum of China, Shanghai Art Museum and the Guangdong Museum of Art.

Asia Art Collective presents INK EXTRAORDINAIRE – a visually breathtaking exhibition of three ink masters: Fan Shao Hua, Liu Guo and Gui Zhao Hai.

Fan Shao Hua painting a portrait

Vegetable Seller. 1995.

2

Liu Guo (b. 1956, Jilin Province, China) graduated from the Department of Fine Art at Northeast Normal University, majoring in Chinese landscape painting, and fur ther schooled in the Zhejiang Academy of Art (now known as China Academy of Art) in Chinese landscape painting, where he was taught under the most acclaimed 20th century Chinese ink masters Lu Yanshao, Liu Haisu, Sha Menghai, Wu Zuoren and others. Liu currently heads the Department of Fine Art at the Jilin Institute of Education and is the founder of the Changbaishan Art Academy, in addition to his numerous academic and honourary positions. Liu had contributed to the teaching of Chinese ink painting through a unique set of twelve techniques of ink and colour painting. In 1991, he completed a 60 metre scroll painting, ‘The Majesty of Mt. Changbaishan’, winning praise in China and abroad, establishing himself as an eminent contemporary ink painter.

Hailing from the rugged and cold landscape of Northeastern China, Liu imbues in his landscape paintings a sense of sublime beauty, where the vastness of nature co-exist with all living things, great and small. Liu is adept in representing snow in all its conditions with great sensitivity, a result of his lifetime of immersion and his unique technique of “leaving white”, allowing the paper to shimmer with light. Showcased in this exhibition are his recent works which touches on the splendour and beauty of nature.

3

Gui Zhao Hai (b.1974, Anhui, China) is an ar tist and calligrapher residing in Beijing. He graduated from the Beijing Fine Art Academy in 2010 where he studied under Li Xiaoke, and in a special landscape class led by Jia Youfu at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. Gui’s practice can be framed within the lineage of a Chinese modern ar t movement going back to the renowned 20th century ar tist Li Keran (1907-1989), a movement which incorporated elements of Western ar t practice such as the direct study of landscape from life, as opposed to repetition of classical Chinese landscape forms.

Drawing inspiration from the desolate and mountainous regions of Sichuan, Gui Zhao Hai’s works can be described as a force of nature in itself. The majesty of towering mountains to the deathly silence of a moonlit night in the highlands – his works are visual poetry and representation grounded in the experience of life.

Gui’s paintings have been winning awards in national ar t competitions in China. Most recently, in 2014, ‘The Moon before me’ was selected out of numerous painting submissions to be showcased in the ‘Spirit of Beihong’ National Chinese painting exhibition held in Jiangsu, China, organised by the China Artists Association.

The Moon before me. 2013. Ink on paper, 212 x 100 cm.

4

FAN SHAO HUA 范少华

Rattan Shop. 1998. Ink and colour on paper, 114 x 48 cm.

5

Good Season. 1997. Ink on paper, 196 x 96 cm.

6

Waiting. 1996. Ink and colour on paper, 132 x 68 cm.

7

Singapore Back Alley. 1998. Ink and colour on paper, 114 x 48 cm.

8

LIU GUO 刘国

9

Silver Winter. 2015. Ink and colour on paper, 69 x 137 cm.

10

Rhythm of the pine forest. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 95 x 173 cm.

11

Early Snow in Changbaishan. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 136 x 68 cm.

12

Mist over the Mountains. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 169 x 96

13

Spring Pastoral. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 96 x 178 cm.

14

Longing. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 125 x 62 cm.

GUI ZHAO HAI 桂兆海

15

The Highlands. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 129 x 62 cm.The Mountain Spirit. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 125 x 62 cm.

16Snowy Mountain. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 246 x 62 cm

The Dawn on the Horizon. 2014. Ink and colour on paper, 241 x 40 cm.

Asia Art Collective is an art gallery and consultancy specialised in representing emerging and established Singaporean and Chinese artists. We provide a range of art-related services including artwork commissioning and artwork dealing, sourcing and brokerage services for private and public collectors. We welcome both new and experienced collectors to discuss with us on your collecting interests and appraisal needs.

Opening Hours:Monday to Saturday: 11am - 7pmSunday and Public Holidays: By appointment onlyGallery address: 19 Tanglin Road, #03-42 Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore 247909Tel: 6733 2155Email: info@asiaartcollective.com

Published on the occasion of Ink Extraordinaire: Fan Shao Hua | Liu Guo | Gui Zhao Hai (10 April 2015 - 18 April 2015, ION Art Gallery) © Asia Art Collective. All rights reserved.

Liu Guo. Silver Winter. 2015. Ink and colour on paper, 69 x 137 cm.