Ink Preludes
Four Person Exhibition
March 1-31, 2024

Nanxi Jin
Wen Xie
Ming Zhang
Zelene Jiang Schlosberg

Opening reception: 5-9pm, March 1, 2024
1522 Greenleaf St, Evanston, IL, USA 60202
https://www.xiaospace.org

A living artistic tradition is formed by constantly extending and broadening its boundaries. Four Chinese artists who are deeply nourished and influenced by traditional Chinese ink art (two of whom are in the United States and two in China) use different languages, materials, and imaginations in their encounters with ink, opening up new spaces and generating new pictures. In seemingly different directions, the artists return to a striking visual language that we recognize as Eastern.

Wen Xie was born in the extreme cold of Northern China, and now lives in Suhang, a beautiful, warmer area. She received traditional ink painting training since childhood and is very adept at linear strokes. In this exhibition, she uses ink techniques combined with watercolor painting to depict flowers, birds, fish, cats, and various other forms of life. Over the past 20 years, she has persevered on her artistic path and continued to create, advocating that she should be confident, proud, and indeed courageous enough to declare “I am a mountain!”

Ming Zhang is from Xiangshui River, China. The gods and legends of Jiuyi mountain and the endless mountain mist are always tugging at his mind. The ink on the paper is very free. There is splashing, dancing, continuity, hope, divination, addressing the laws of heaven and earth and seeking inner peace. The landscape combines with oracle bone inscriptions and markings, moving the spirit and mind. In “Ink Divination,” we see the intertwined atmosphere of ancient and contemporary times.

Nanxi Jin came to the United States to study at the age of 16. She studied from high school to a master’s degree in fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Following the family tradition of ceramic art in Jingdezhen, it seems natural to make practical works within existing standards, but she chose a narrow “escape plan” and has become an uninhibited woman. Although she is very young, she has an excellent command of her materials. The ceramic installation has the splendor of silk, the elegance of rice paper, the power of flying over eaves and walls, and the bright sunshine of Changjiang River.

Zelene Jiang Schlosberg, inspired by Liu Zongyuan’s famous article “Little Rock Pond” (both from Yongzhou, China), uses white canvas to construct an artwork where you can almost feel the sound of water and the shadows of darting fish. Feeling the passage of time and the absence of old friends, she does not hesitate to use the ink strokes randomly, or to cut the canvas. The blank space of Zen is so subtle and also straightforward. There are canvases with holes and tangled cotton threads, and the eyes wander, taking in the geometry and mathematics. It’s not traditional ink art, but is true ink art all the same.

In the spring of 2024, at Xiao Space Art near Northwestern University in Illinois, United States, we are fortunate to see such a rich collection of works rooted in ink art, paying tribute to the rich Chinese traditions. No matter where we are, wherever there is ink, we feel at home.

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: Evanston, Ink Preludes, Ming Zhang, Nanxi Jin, Wen Xie, Xiao Space Gallery, Zelene Jiang Schlosberg