Pan Gongkai. Withered Lotus Cast in Iron (detail). Ink on Paper. 70 78 x 590 916 in.
Courtesy of the artist.
The Frye Art Museum is proud to present the first solo museum exhibition in the United States of distinguished Chinese artist Pan Gongkai (b. 1947). The son of renowned twentieth-century master Pan Tianshou (1897–1971), Pan Gongkai has served since 2001 as president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. He previously served as president of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou from 1996 to 2001.
A contemporary master of ink painting, Pan Gongkai prepares large-scale compositions without interruption, in sessions that often last more than twelve hours. He views this physically demanding process as a key, performative element of his work. For his exhibition at the Frye Art Museum, Pan has created a large-scale, site-specific ink painting which will extend the entire length of the museum’s largest gallery.
Pan Gongkai has dedicated his career to furthering international dialogue between philosophers, art historians, artists, and theoreticians on fundamental questions of culture, identity, and representation, and has written extensively on the boundaries and distinctions between Western and Chinese art. A strong proponent of the tradition of Chinese brush painting, he has been, at the same time, one of the most ardent experimenters with its forms. Pan Gongkai represented China at the Venice Biennale in 2011 and has exhibited in numerous museums across Asia.
About the exhibition
Dates: October 4, 2014 – January 18, 2015
Venue: The Frye Art Museum
Opening Reception: October 2, 7:30 - 9 pm
Courtesy of the artist and the Frye Art Museum,.
