Nan Qi, Black 'Nan' RMB Currency, 2013; Ink on rice paper-3D images in ink and wash, 108x70cm

Art Plural Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition of Chinese artist Nan Qi in collaboration with China Art Foundation. Featuring 30 of his most recent works, the exhibition will run from October 31 to November 23, 2013.

Nan Qi is one of the leading contemporary artists who have contributed to the recent revival of Chinese ink wash painting. For over a thousand years, ink wash painting has always been a main stay in Chinese art and culture. Today, this art form is undergoing a renaissance. Numerous recent conferences and exhibitions on modern and contemporary Chinese ink painting have focused attention on this new art form now at the centre of global conversations on art.

The aim of this exhibition is to revisit traditional Chinese ink painting and engage the global audience in broader dialogues.

Nan Qi, Fortune Dot, 2006; Ink and Tibetan incense on rice paper, 155x124cm

Working with ink on Xuan paper alternating black and white, Nan Qi’s work is deeply rooted in the technique of traditional ink painting. From this strong personal attachment to ink, the artist keeps incorporating new elements to his work and injecting an innovative dimension to the traditional medium. These various components are all part of his unique artistic language and stand out in his latest works.

Nan Qi, recognised as “the master of ink dots”, replaces lines with juxtapositions of dots forming an actual image when seen from a distance. This pointillist style renews the Chinese traditional freehand technique (xieyi), literally “writing an idea”: calligraphy characters are turned into dots. Each dot is thus a sign locking up its own meaning. The actual form of what is being perceived is conveyed by an infinity of independent dots. As a result, it is not enough to observe the overall image, one literally needs to “read” the image to understand it.

“Western dot matrices are often accomplished with screen-printing, and my works are all completed by hand. […] The dots in my work have many layers, including ink layers themselves and layers of colour, but all in a single dot. […] Western dot matrices are not the same, their dot is only subservient to the entire form, there is not much meaning in looking at each individual dot.” – Nan Qi.

Nan Qi, Colored 'Nan' RMB Currency, 2013; Ink on rice paper-#D images in ink and wash, 108x70cm

About the exhibition

Duration: 31 October 13 — 23 November 13

Venue: Art Plural Gallery

Address: 38 Armenian Street, Singapore 179942

Tel: +65 6636 8360

Fax: +65 6636 8361

Mon-Sat 11am to 7pm, Closed Sundays and Public Holidays.

Courtesy of the artist and Art Plural Gallery.