“Shan Shui Reboot” presents visually spectacular and thought-provoking creations by seven young artists born between 1974 and 1992.
China Institute Gallery presented a special spring exhibition, Shan Shui Reboot: Re-Envisioning Landscape for a Changing World. The exhibition highlighted a new generation of artists who are reinterpreting traditional Chinese landscape painting in the context of today’s global social issues and climate crisis. Shan shui refers to the time-honored painting of natural landscapes with brush and ink focused on an awareness of inner spiritual philosophy. The exhibition featured the recent work of seven established and emerging artists including Lam Tung Pang, Yi Xin Tong, Kelly Wang, Peng Wei, Fu Xiaotong, Yang Yongliang, and Ni Youyu. More than 40 works – including paintings, photographs, installation, and video – will be exhibited, and many are being shown in New York for the first time.
Featured Artists:
Lam Tung Pang (b. 1978): Mountains de-bonding
Witness the scale of humanity’s challenges through Lam Tung Pang’s awe-inspiring 40-foot-tall mountain-and-water landscape. Crafted with industrial plywood and a blowtorch, this piece is a testament to the artist’s mastery of materials and commentary on the fragility of our modern landscape.
Peng Wei (b. 1974): Migration of Memory
Immerse yourself in Peng Wei’s visual opera—a layered, music-inspired installation that harmonizes poetry, melody, and humanity within the realm of landscape painting.
Yang Yongliang (b. 1980): Glows in the Arctic
Step into a dystopian yet spectacular moving panorama of megacity nightlife with Yang Yongliang’s immersive digital video. A commentary on our contemporary existence, this piece is a visual spectacle that resonates with the ecological challenges of our modern world.
Fu Xiaotong (b. 1976): 722,070 Pinpricks
Witness artistic alchemy as Fu Xiaotong transforms paper into mountains of monumental visual and emotional scales, using only a needle. 722,070 Pinpricks is a testament to the artist’s delicate yet impactful approach to landscape art.
Ni Youyu (b. 1984): Galaxy
Explore a universe in miniature form with Ni Youyu’s constellation of shan shui paintings on coins. Playing with issues of time and scale, the artist invites you to contemplate the interconnectedness of ancient and contemporary themes.
Kelly Wang (b. 1992): Everything and Nothing at One Moment in Time
Experience Kelly Wang’s largest installation to date. This shifting landscape, created with suspended forms, light, and shadow, reflects the speed and dynamism of her hometown, Manhattan.
Yi Xin Tong (b. 1989): Extinction
Peer into an imagined world after the demise of the human species with Yi Xin Tong’s pair of giant tapestries. Weaving together elements of the past, present, and future, the artist offers a thought-provoking vision of our collective destiny.
Curated by Tiffany Wai-Yang Beres
Organized by the China Institute Gallery
Picture
Yang Yongliang (b. 1980). Glows in the Arctic, 2022. 2-channel 4K video; 9 minutes 50 seconds.
