ROAMING 2 BRIDGES International Faculty Show

Wuhan Zall Art Gallery • Wuhan • May 2017

Artists:

Alison Norlen, Barbara Reimer, Darlene Kalynka, Eileen Lailer, Ellen Moffat, Frances Robson, Graham Fowler, Hunker Clinton, Jacob Semko, Jennifer Crane, John Graham, Linda Duvall, Patrick Bulas, Susan Shantz, Tim Nowlin, Xiao Han.

Beini Mu, Guanghui Zhang, Jingbo Xu, Lichi Wan, Mengmeng Tan, Pu Zhang, Songtao Zhang, Wei Tan, Xianping Leng, Xinping Ma.

Sponsors: 

Wuhan Wisdom of Landscape Operation Management Co., Ltd.

Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower Tea Co., Ltd.

Statement

Ugly Fine Art & Beautiful Poor Art

What is art? What are we talking about when we talk about art? Will a simple picture of an old bicycle, abandoned in the back alley be viewed as art? Will a well-lit gallery miraculously transform the garbage into art? It is not that simple! Contemporary art requires not merely a finely crafted exterior; a rich concept to back up the artwork is equally significant, that is, the context. And this context can often involve memory, a cultural custom, and so on. Sometimes the context behind the art is far more interesting than the art itself. When it comes to art appreciation, every viewer will have their own unique perspectives. If art can be appreciated by both the well-educated and the ignorant, artwork could be perceived from multiple angles. This process of conveying ideas to visual language much challenges the artist’s creativity. Therefore, the artist must devote an equal amount of energy to the context and the technical skills.

However, in an era when concept overshadows craftsmanship, can a poorly made craft become artwork with a mere implication of an intriguing concept? 

Nowadays, where all sorts of information are readily available, should we pause and think back about craftsmanship refinement? This is a fascinating subject. Artists pour their hearts and soul into the artworks in a different manner. One cannot merely judge the quality of art base on simple metrics. The charm of art is its ever-changing aesthetic rules.

Saskatoon runs north-south from the South Saskatoon River. The river covers ​​only 170 square kilometres, but there are as many as seven bridges on the river to connect the east and west banks of Saskatoon. So Saskatoon is also called “City of Bridges.” Wuhan, Hubei Province, China is a city with a long history, dating back to the Han Dynasty. Wuhan city brings together the Yangtze River and Han River and many lakes, also known as “City of Rivers.”

In 2017, Kyuubi Culture’s lead curator Xiao Han will bring Saskatoon-based artists to Wuhan for another exchange exhibition. We are very fortunate to once again exhibit artworks from Saskatoon in Canada and Wuhan in China. This exhibition showcases astounding artworks from “City of Bridges” and “City of Rivers,” made by artists from entirely different backgrounds. Various artistic concepts are used to create these artworks, including the study of nature-human relations, the transition between organic language and artificial audio, the combination of drawings and architectural structures, the photography produced by unique processes, and the amalgamation of traditional drawing and new digital medium. This exhibition strengthens the bond between the artists from two different continents. It is also a pivotal opportunity for two distinct cultures to converse through visual arts.

Curatorial Concept

Wuhan is the capital city of Hubei province in China. It is the most populated city in Central China.  Wuhan, is also known as the River City (Jiang Cheng), as it is situated at the junction of the Yangtze and Han Rivers. Divided by the two rivers, Wuhan is comprised of Wuchang, Hanyang and Hankou towns whose histories, scale and rate of development are different. Wuhan has seven bridges and one tunnel across the Yangtze River to connect three towns together.

Roaming 2: Bridges, is the second exhibition for university faculties who are Wuhan based or Saskatoon based artists. This show aims to build a strong relationship between two cities. We want to extend artwork exposure for both Canadian and Chinese artists. We ask the faculties in the Art programs to submit and participate in our exhibition in order to explore multicultural art, and art practice.  

Gallery Space

Zall Gallery is located on the third floor of Wuhan Zall Bookstore, 168 Hong Kong Road, Wuhan. Zall Bookstore is an architectural space that combines a bookstore and an art gallery. After reading the book, visitors can go up the winding stairs to see the artwork exhibited upstairs. It is a place where textual knowledge and visual knowledge combines. Zall maintains low visitor traffic yet high frequent visits, both big and small exhibitions would be held regularly for visitors to enjoy. Those who seek knowledge and those who love art will always find their way into Zall Gallery and immerse themselves in art and beauty.