A green tent pitched on red earth is beset by a sudden rainstorm. While rain water quickly accumulates and forms several pockets of water on the tent, a line of children within the tent place a foot on a bamboo pole tied to a tree as they warm-up for dance practice.
February 18, 2021
Black Flame, 2016-2017
Two new exhibitions recently opened at Contemporary Gallery Kunming – Blank Paper , a solo exhibition of Liu Jianhua, and The Trees , a solo exhibition of Li Ji. Both are curated by Cui Cancan, one of the most dynamic curators on the Chinese scene today.
Liu Jianhua is an internationally-acclaimed sculpture and installation artist best known for his work in ceramic. Having trained for a time in Jingdezhen, China s main porcelain production center, he was drawn to its potential as a material for contemporary creation. He often uses it as a means for exploring the nature of material, such as in Foam , a wall of white ceramic bricks with the texture of styrofoam, made specifically for this exhibition. Blank Paper , from which this exhibition takes its title, resembles a giant piece of blank paper hung on the wall, with slightly upturned corners at the bottom. As the curator writes in his exhibition essay: