Concentration and Controlled Release

Tokyo Gallery + BTAP is delighted to announce the opening of "Concentration and Controlled Release," commemorating the 20th anniversary of the exhibition "Rosary Beads and Brush Strokes."

This exhibition, "Concentration and Controlled Release," extends a special invitation to an acclaimed art critic curator, Liao Wen, to be the curator while commemorating Mr. Li Xianting’s curated exhibition “Rosary Beads and Brush Stroke” held at Tokyo Gallery + BTAP in 2003.

"Abstract art as an art form began in the West. In simple terms, two extreme lines of modern Western art with various schools of thought ultimately lead to abstraction. One demonstrates overt moods and emotions, deriving from Expressionism, and became Abstract Expressionism, and the other is reticent of emotions, which developed into Minimalism from Structuralism.

Among traditional Chinese art forms, the one closest to 'abstraction' would be calligraphy. In the last few decades, many Chinese artists aimed to embark on the path of abstraction through calligraphy. However, since the Chinese studied their written language, they could not perceive calligraphy as purely abstract structures. Similar to the transformations calligraphy has undergone in modern calligraphy in Japan, Chinese calligraphy has not departed from the essential 'shape of the character', which hinders it from arriving at the realm of abstraction.

However, ink and brush directly relate to the mind, and traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy embody an inherent spiritual core. Many Chinese abstract artworks have evolved from this spiritual core of traditional ink and wash. Like the pieces in this exhibition, the basic elements are essential and straightforward. The artists focus on complicated strokes and the manual process, and their concentration level allows them to transmit their immediate meaning through every brush stroke. In other words, each stroke must be effortless and can be repeated infinitely, which would expand to abstract and metaphysical realms. Unlike minimalism, an underling of Western conceptual art, these works resonate with Lao Tzu's ancient view of cosmology, where 'one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three to all things in this world'."(From an article by Liao Wen)

For this exhibition, the curator purposefully chose artists who have gone to the "extremes" on the path of "concentration," including Du Jie, He Chengyao, Jiang Jimin, Liu Deng, Liao Jianhua, Lan Ping, Lu Yifan, Suo Yutong, Tian Guizhong, Zhu Lizige, Zhou Yangming.

In life, everyone will feel different pressures, and in the end, they can't really be dissolved but only released or redirected in some ways. Outbursts are one way, crying is another or even a complete collapse. In contrast, the most straightforward, refrained dissolution is cultivated based on cultural practice and one's education, one that does not bring trouble to others yet reaches the depth of one's inner self.

This exhibition explores the significance of the works on view of "Chinese abstraction" and the artists who created them.

The works will be on view through February 28, 2024; we look forward to your visit.