Whitestone Gallery Hong Kong is proud to present Elevation, a solo exhibition that showcases a new series of abstract paintings by Lou Zhenggang, the Chinese artist who has been living in Japan for over 30 years.
Lou Zhenggang's creation ranges from traditional rice paper and ink, to canvas, oil, acrylic and other media, merging study and reference of Chinese ink art with practice of Japanese Gutai as well as European and American Abstract Expressionism. She moved from calligraphy to paintings that are free from linguistic symbols, turning abstract landscape into expression of inner voice, and has formed her unique concept and expression technique. Lou's works are not randomly composed by her sub-consciousness and freely dripping paint, instead, the artist tries to balance consciousness and subconsciousness and coordinate free expression with composition, striving for harmony and balance in a way Piet Mondrian did.
The foundation of Lou's creation lies in Eastern aesthetics, however her techniques clearly combine the essence of different art forms, creating a momentary impression of colors, with a pure psychological experience and visual sensation. Harmony is the major character in Lou's work, it transcends nationality, race, region and even gender, pursuing an aesthetic experience that is shared by all human beings. Along this journey, Lou has let go of her old self, focusing on exploring and practicing, delivering new creation that surprises everyone.
In recent years, Lou has immersed herself in the beautiful landscape and the rich culture of Izu in Japan. Her intuitive responses to the sea and the sky, local culture and history, as well as her experience and memory of life, have elevated her works to another level of presentation. The unpredictable natural phenomena formed by water and wind are depicted repeatedly in her works, sometimes they are quiet and calm, yet sometimes they are gushing and turbulent.
Water and clouds are the major themes of Lou's recent works. They are the most fundamental substances in nature, and human's emotional reflections towards them are characterised as 'primitive' and 'universal'. In Lou's view, life is like water, whether it is trickling, or as calm as a mirror; it could be like waves splashing, devouring mountains and rivers – life goes in cycle, and it never comes to a stop.
Elevation is Lou's second solo exhibition in Hong Kong, after the first exhibition that exhibited a series of abstract paintings and a large-scale art installation in 2008. Twelve years form a cycle of Chinese zodiac years. After 12 years, Lou returns to Hong Kong with her brand-new series of works, presenting the artist's persistent creative energy and increasingly exquisite expressions.
The 20 works in this exhibition will not only showcase the sea and the sky through Lou's eyes, but also her inner thoughts towards nature, heaven, earth and human. The clouds and water in Lou's works transform natural subjects to imagery objects, from reflection to shape of heart. They contain artistic aesthetics of implicit illusion, as well as contemplation and epiphany, with these it is hoped that the viewers can find resonance and be mesmerised.
Lou Zhenggang was born in Heilongjiang, China in 1966. Having received exceptional art education from a very young age, she acquired the quintessence of traditional Chinese ink painting in her teen. Zhenggang then widened her sphere of activity to the western art, and studied cutting-edge contemporary art during her stay in Hong Kong, New York and others. Zhenggang moved her base to Japan in 1986 and her 30 years of experience opened up a new dimension of contemporary art on the basis of Chinese tradition.
Established in 1967, Whitestone Gallery is a leading Japanese gallery presenting a broad spectrum of Japanese art from the post-war to contemporary in spaces across East Asia.
