On the afternoon of January 9, 2016, “Garden – Xu Dongqing’s Art Exhibition” was unveiled at Beijing Times Art Museum, it is the second times for the artist to comprehensively present her works, following “The Song of Bluebird” held in 2012. It presents more than 50 pieces of the latest work created since 2012, the important works include the “Hymn” series, “Sea” series, “The Tree of Life”, “Morning of the First Day”, “None Mention”, “Ma?jusaka”, “Ma^nda^rava”, “Memory”, “A Letter”, “The Original Leaves”, “You Are the Big Flowers”, “I Put My Hand in Your Hand”, etc., as well as the children’s books drawn for children by the artist. The exhibition is hosted by Beijing Times Art Museum and Dongyu Classic Culture Co., Ltd., undertaken by Dongyu· Classic Art Museum, and China National Academy of Painting serves as the academic support. Art critic Yang Wei serves as the curator.

Xu Dongqing is good at claborate-style painting, and all the things under the brush are full of praises and gratitude to the world, forming her own unique artistic style. Dean of the China National Academy of Painting Yang Xiaoyang, Executive Deputy Dean of the China National Academy of Painting Lu Yushun, Deputy Dean Zhang Xiaoling, Zhang Jiangzhou, Zeng Laide, Assistant to Dean Ji Lianbin, Vice President of the Minzu University of China and Dean of the College of Fine Arts Yin Huili, Director of Management Center of Prince Kung’s Palace Museum Sun Xuguang, Director of Beijing Times Art Museum Wang Yi, Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Rongbaozhai” and President of Rongbaozhai Press Tang Hui, Vice President of Thread-Binding Books Publishing House and Publisher of the children’s book “Leaves and Palmerworm” Ren Mengqiang and other honor guests attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Xu Dongqing was born in Anhui Province, of a gentle and elegant breath, and the quiet personality also helps her calm in her painting world, which is also refracted on the performance of her paintings. Curator Yang Wei called Xu Dongqing “a unique phenomenon”, which was both unique in the field of contemporary art and China National Academy of Painting where she worked, her works focused on the nature and daily life, showing a “quiet” visual rhythm, and it formed a sharp contrast against the current impetuous society.

Dean of the China National Academy of Painting Yang Xiaoyang commented on her previous exhibition making a person felt a kind of “cool and refreshing breath”, while the second show brought a “sweet and warm breath”, and the exhibited works increased, the expressive form was changed. Deputy Dean of the China National Academy of Painting Zhang Xiaoling used the story of “The bird Jingwei trying to fill the sea” to describe Xu Dongqing’s continuous persistence on the creation, at the same time he also praised her paintings showcasing an incredible imagination. Zhang Xiaoling and Xu Dongqing come from the same town, and Zhang said he read the memories of the hometown in the “Garden”.

Before the exhibition opened, it also held the “Conversation in the Garden” thematic salon, invited curator Yang Wei, artist Zhang Yanzi, painter Deng Pingxiang, director Lao Chao, poet Yu Xinjiao, musician Su Yitong and other honor guests to attend the thematic salon. The exhibition continues to January 23.

Text and photo by Zhang Wenzhi, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO