Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery’s current show “Contemporary San Sui Exhibition. Mountain is not Water” presents work in various media from seven Hong Kong-based artists. On display from 8 June to 13 July 2013, the exhibition highlights a selection of what the gallery calls in its press release “neo-San Sui experimental art“. The exhibition hopes to explore the concepts and forms of Shan Shui in contemporary art. Use of media may not be limited to ink, but also include western painting media, photography, sculptures, videos and so on. Participating artists have suggested a diversified field of views as well, including experienced artists LEUNG Kui Ting and CHO Yeou Jui, with KUM Chi Keung, Tony NG Kwun Lun and KOON Wai Bong from the mid-generation, and Barbara CHOI Tak Yee and Vincent MAK Shing Fung from the younger generation. They attempt to present contemporary Shan Shui from various art perspectives.

LEUNG Kui Ting is trying on new Shan Shui series with western paints and special lighting effect, which becomes a modern demonstration of traditional elements. KUM Chi Keung is trying new media too, using mirror surface stainless steel to construct his Shan Shui sculpture from bird cages, a combination of virtual Shan Shui images and surrounding environmental scenes. Vincent MAK is showing the historical changes of the city with his installation combining traditional Chinese painting and video art, while Barbara CHOI outlines the scenery of Hong Kong’s famous Goldfish Street with meticulous Shan Shui painting. KOON Wai Bong’s ink painting can well be regarded as the contemporary successor of the Literati Painting, as the acrylic floating landscape by CHO Yeou Jui traces back to the temperament of ancient Shan Shui painting. Tony NG, on the other hand, tries to present the mood of Gobi Desert in a microcosmic point of view.

Eric LEUNG, curator of this exhibition, points out that the Chinese traditional landscapes technique has reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. Following the rise of literati painting in the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese landscapes put more emphasis on the pursuit of artistic conception and became the most representative art in Chinese painting. Nowadays, both the nature appearance and the social and cultural thoughts have experienced earthshaking changes. Therefore, the present exhibition will explore the different ways of expressing artistic conception of landscapes in contemporary art. Furthermore, as Hong Kong is the melting pot of Chinese and Western culture, the exhibition will try to appreciate the artists’ styles from the perspective of modern literature.

The title of the exhibition “Mountain is not Water” is inspired by “Mountain is not mountain”, the teaching of Zen master Qingyuan Xingsi from the Tang Dynasty. When you first practice Zen meditation, in your eyes mountain is mountain and water is water. When you start to understand Zen, mountain is no longer mountain and water is no longer water. When it comes to thorough realization, mountain is still the mountain, and water is still the water. When Shan Shui meets contemporary art, it integrates with different western media and even separates itself from medium of ink to apply new concepts. Mixed flavors of these give us a feel of state like “mountain is not the mountain”. No matter how revolutionary and chaotic the contemporary Shan Shui becomes, comprehending and appreciating the humanistic conception in it may once again open the path to the final realization of “mountain is mountain”.

Courtesy of the artists and Kwai Fung Hin Gallery.