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SANDSOFTIMEOpeningspeechbyLuiseGuest

2May2019|VermilionArt

“Thereisisacomplexinterwovenrelationshipbetweeneasternandwesternarthistoriesandphilosophies,butavisuallanguagethatisentirelyherown.”–LuiseGuest

IamreallydelightedandmosthonouredtobeinvitedtoofficiallyopenthisexhibitionofnewworkbyGaoPingatVermilionArt,called‘SandsofTime’or‘ShaZhong’.

Thetitleoftheshow,beyondreferencingthelandscapesoftheartist’snativeShandongProvince,andhercoastalhometownofYantai,suggeststhemeasuringoftime,butperhapsitalsohasassociationsoftimelessness.FormethisisverymuchthekeytoGaoPing’swork–sheisimmersedinthephysicalityofhercreation,referencingdifferentaspectsofChinesetradition(mostobviouslyinherinkworks)andthereisindeedasenseofbothtimepassingandtimelessnessinthepatient,quietrepetitionandendlesspracticethatbringsrefinementanddepthtotheworkofaskilledartist.

Anotherassociation,ofcourse,isthehourglassor‘sandclock’whichmeasurestime,andhumanlives.GaoPing’sworkrefersbothtothatsenseoftimelessness,ofbeing‘inthemoment’ofcreationinthestudiowhereyouceasetobeawareoftime,butalsototheslightlymelancholyconsciousnessofthepassageoftime–even,intheseworks,ofgeologicaltime,thewearingawayofmountainrangesandtheslowtectonicshiftsoftheplatesoftheearth.InShandongProvince,therearerocksthatarebillionsofyearsold,thatwereonceundertheoceanandhavemarinefossilsembeddedwithinthemeventhoughtheyarenowfoundinquarriesfarfromthecoast–itisalsohometositesofthemostsignificantdinosaurfossils,sotheideaofaeonsoftimeisembeddedintheverylandscape.GaoPing’sinkandacrylicworksinthisshowconveythatelementoflayering,sedimentationandgeologicalweathering,ofwindandwaterturningrocktograinsofsand–evenwhentheirsubjectisthecontemporarybanalsuchas-anelectricalpowerboard.

GaoPing,‘Untitled1-1’,2016,mixedmediaonpaper,39x55cm

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ImetGaoPingonmyveryfirsttriptoChina,andherswasoneofthefirststudiosIentered.ItwasMarch,andstillverycoldinBeijing.Iwalkedintothestudiothatshesharedwithherhusband,fellowartistYongLi,andsmelledtheheadyintoxicatingfumesofoilpaint,andsawthesedark,broodingpaintingsstackedaroundthewallsandlaidoutonthefloor,andbeautifulinkworksonfineChinesexuanpaperlayeredandrolledonbenches.GaoPingandherfriend,thepainterHuQinwu,werereallymyfirstintroductiontothepracticeofartistswhoweregraduatesoftheoilpaintingdepartmentattheCentralAcademyofFineArtswithitsgreatacademictraditionofFrenchandRussianfigurativepainting,andyetweremanagingtostraddlewhatisinmanywaysafalsedichotomybetweeneastandwest,incorporatingelementsofChinesepaintingandcalligraphytraditionsintotheircontemporaryworks.

OneofthethingsthatIinstantlylovedaboutGaoPing’spaintingsisthatthereisnothingovertlyshowy–thereisnoexcess,nodramatics,andabsolutelynopretentiousness.Liketheartistherself,herworkisquiet,subtleandverysensitivetonuancesoflightanddark,formandvoid,spaceandshape.Atthesametime,IknowthatGaoPingstrivestomakeherworkstrong,andIbelievethatwhenyoulookatthepaintingsonthewallofthegallerytonightyouwillagreethatshehassucceeded.

Onthatandmanysubsequentstudiovisitsoverthelasttenyears,theotherthingthatIhavecometoloveaboutherworkisthatshereallyknowshowtousegrey.Ihappentobeapersonwholovesgreyandgrisaillepainting.Itssubtletyisawonderfulthing–lookforexampleatpaintingsinthisexhibitionsuchas‘Fruits’,orat‘Flower’or‘Stone2’andseehowbeautifullythegreywashesarebalancedandmodulatedwithothertonesandalmosthiddencolours.

GaoPing,‘Flower2’,2016,mixedmediaonpaper,71x115cm

GaoPingbelievesthatpaintingislikeasecretlanguage,creatingmysteriouslayersthatrevealthemselvesslowlytothosewillingtotakethetimetolookcarefully.Andherworkreallydoes

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repaythelonglook.Ihaveoftendescribedhertopeopleas‘therealdeal’,anartistwhomakesworkbecauseshemust.HertenacityisevidentintheyearsshespentapplyingtothecompetitiveCentralAcademyofFineArtsinBeijing.HerresilienceandcourageisdemonstratedbythefactthatshecamefromShandongProvince,whereshehadcompletedherundergraduatestudies,tothefranticallychaotic,constantlytransformingcityofBeijing,absolutelydeterminedtostudyatthegreatChineseartpowerhouse,andreadytokeeptryingoverandoveragainifnecessarytobeacceptedintothisnotoriouslydifficult-to-enterartacademy.

Iespeciallylovedthestoryshetoldmeabouthow,whenshewassuccessfullyadmittedtotheartacademyshewasdesperatelykeentoavoidtheparticularstudiooftheoilpaintingdepartmentwhichtaughttheRussianpaintingmethods:shetoldmethatshecouldn’tstandtopaintlikethat,inshadesofbrownthatshedescribedas‘likesoysauce’!Fortunately,eventhoughbackinthe1990sstudentshadnochoiceandweresimplyallocatedtoaparticulardisciplineandtothestudiowithinthatdiscipline,sheescapedthatfate!

WhenGaoPingfirstarrivedinBeijingfromShandongshewasappalledatthenoiseanddestructivepowerofthecity,anditsfranticdog-eat-dogatmosphere,thewholesaledestructionasentireneighbourhoodsweredemolishedinafrenzyofreconstruction,therelentlessnoise,thetraffic,andthepollutedair.AlthoughshestilllivesandworksinBeijing,withastudiointhemorepeacefulsurroundingsofLuomaLakeinthenorthofthecity,shereturnsoftentotherurallandscapesofShandongandfindspeaceandsolaceinthenaturalworld.

GaoPinginherBeijingstudio,2013.Photo:LuiseGuest

Inthisshowweseethemountains,rocksandothernaturalformsobservedandrememberedfromhertravels,butalsothequirkinessandhumourthatIloveinherworkaswell–theslightlyout-of-left-fieldobservationsoftheeverydaythataresoevidentinherinkpaintingsof

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tinyobjectssuchaselectricfans,wobblyoldfurnitureanddiscardedtoys.Herewefindthatapowerpointwithtrailingcordsorapairofknobblyfeetareasworthyoftheartist’sattentionasamountainlandscapeoraflower.

GaoPing,‘Untitled’,2016,mixedmediaonpaper,71x115cm

Hertechniqueintheseworksisinterestingandidiosyncratic–shedrawsquicklybutthenbuildsuplayersoverlayers,creatingarichpalimpsestofwashesofinkandacrylicthatarescrapedback,drawninto,re-paintedandscrapedbackagainsothattracesofghostlyformsbeneaththesurfacebecomeremindersoftheartist’sphysicalgesturesassheworksinthestudio.Theseworksapplyunorthodoxcombinationsofmaterials.ThinnedwashesofacrylicarebrushedovertheChineseinkunderneath,andviceversa,inaprocesssomewhatlikeawaxresist.Theresultismoody,atmosphericandsubtle,withglimpsesofobjectsoroflandscapesseenthroughhazeandmist.GaoPingtransformsthemundane-arock,somefruit,apileofchairsorastackofboxes-intosomethingmysteriousandother-worldly.SometimessubtlehintsofcolourunderliethedominantgreysandblackswhichremindusthatChineseinkis,afterall,formedfromsoot.

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GaoPing,‘Stone2’,2017,mixedmediaonpaper,68x109cm

GaoPingsaysthatforChineseartiststhetraditionsofinkpaintingare“likethegroundunderyourfeet”.SheadmirestheearlyQingDynastypainterBaDaShanren,orZhuDa,whofamouslyobservedthattherewere“moretearsthanink”inhispaintings.Hisexpressivelandscapesachieveabalancebetweenstillness,spaceandcloselyobserveddetail,whichGaoPingreturnstoagainandagain.Shedescribeshisworkasbothsadand“calminheart”,adescriptionwhichequallyappliestoherown,whichrevealhercompleteunderstandingoftheveryChineserelationshipbetweenformand(apparently)emptyspacethatissocharacteristicofshanshuiinkpainting.BaDawrotethispoem(onawall,thestorygoes)in1674.

Mountain and stream reflect the old country.

Flames of war recall a bygone homeland.

When will the plan to return be fulfilled?

Floating like a single reed I sail

TheselinesseemtometoencapsulateGaoPingandherpaintings,whichcombinethetwinelementsofbeautyandmelancholy.

LikemanyothercontemporaryChineseartists,GaoisinterestedinDaoistphilosophyandinthestrange(towesternminds)paradoxoftheharmoniousrelationshipbetweenapparentopposites,yinandyang,lightanddark,formandspace.WithineachofGaoPing’spaintings,thereisisacomplexinterwovenrelationshipbetweeneasternandwesternarthistoriesandphilosophies,butavisuallanguagethatisentirelyherown.

So,itgivesmegreatpleasuretocongratulateYeqinandherteamatVermilionArtonthismostbeautifulandsubtleexhibition,andtothankheralsofortheopportunitytospeakaboutGaoPingtonight.Pleaseenjoytheexhibition!