巴塞爾藝術展香港展會 2024
Art Basel Hong Kong 2024
獅語畫廊 | Leo Gallery
展位 Booth 3C44
UNRESTRAINT 疏野
Works by Li Di and Zhang Fangbai
李迪 張方白 雙人展
参展藝術家 | Artists
李迪 Li Di ｜ 張方白 Zhang Fangbai
展期 | Duration
2024.03.26 - 03.30
貴賓預覽｜VIP Preview
2024.03.26（周二｜Tue.）12:00 - 20:00
2024.03.27（周三｜Wed.）12:00 - 20:00
公眾開放｜Public Days
2024.03.28（周四｜Thur.）14:00 - 20:00
2024.03.29（周五｜Fri.）14:00 - 20:00
2024.03.30（周六｜Sat.）13:00 - 19:00
地址 | Venue
香港會議展覽中心
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Leo Gallery proudly presents “Unrestraint”, a joint exhibition by Zhang Fangbai (b 1965, Hunan, China) and Li Di (b 1963, Inner Mongolia, China) at Art Basel Hong Kong 2024.
"Unrestraint" is known as "Shu Ye" in Chinese pinyin. It is one of the twenty-four categories of poetry in the late Tang Dynasty. The artistic style of "Shu Ye" is characterised by simplicity and naturalness. This style emphasises a natural and straightforward approach, without excessive literary embellishments, in both the spiritual content of the work and the language used. Li Di and Zhang Fangbai, both born in the 1960s and graduates of the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, possess a strong visual language and skilled painting techniques. Their works embody a freehand expression that blends intentional and unintentional brushwork. Their works also share many similarities with German Neo-Expressionism, reflecting a distinctive Chinese aesthetic.
Zhang Fangbai's artistic journey is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese painting, and he has developed a unique visual language. Zhang proposed experimenting with Western art in his essay 'My Views on Establishing Local Chinese Modern Art'when applying for the undergraduate program at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1987, which foreshadowed the path that he would take in his future artistic career.
Zhang has received great respect from Li XianTing, a renowned art critic, "Although Zhang Fangbai's paintings are oil paintings, the effect ofthe picture is the most prominent, which is similar to the traditionalChinese literati's " accumulated ink method ", layer after layer, piled upbrushstrokes, giving people a solemn feeling. At the same time, in termsof image creation, the author is working hard to transform or reinterpretthe "strange bird" of Bada Shanren, so as to express his inner feelingsof depression and heaviness. In recent decades, there have been a lot ofexplorations in the development of Chinese oil painting. Among them,the language method of absorbing Chinese tradition, especially imageryand bixing, is the most prominent, and even the slogan "imagery oilpainting" has been widely advocated. On this basis, Zhang Fangbai didnot choose the direction of "lyrical" and "writing" as other artists did.Instead, he pioneered the " accumulated ink method", and the conversionand appropriation of images in traditional works is particularly valuable."
張方白 Zhang Fangbai
《白石圖三號》 White stone No. 3
2023
布面丙烯
Acrylic on Canvas
120 x 150 cm
Moreover, Zhang has recevied high appreciation from Fan Di'an, President of the China Artists Association, "From the very beginning of Zhang's study in the Central Academy of Fine Arts, he refused to be confined by the constraint and indulge in his own world. His works exhibit his intense inner emotion, or to be more specific, a strong will. They have become clumps that without fixed forms. Those clumps that appear in the chaotic background are souls rather than a representation of objects. They resemble the masculine power of a male and the circle of life. Compare to the abstract expressionism in western countries, Zhang Fangbai's work is both expressionistic and abstract. For him, expressionism is the core component and momentum. It is the impulse of expresses that pushing him to depict his spirit on the canvas."
張方白 Zhang Fangbai
《舊鄉 - 2》Native Place - 2
2022
布面油畫
Oil on Canvas
200 x 300 cm
Zhang has also received novel acclaim from professor Peng Feng, Dean of School of Arts and Art Criticism at Peking University in Beijing. He commented, "More than a decade ago, when I first saw Zhang's artworks, they left a completely different impression compared to the popular works in the art scene at that time. The prevailing trend in the art scene back then was mostly in the realm of Pop Art. There were works that were flashy and others that depicted the Cartoon Generation. Even the academically trained artists were pursuing immediacy and proximity. They were all replicas of Western popular art styles. However, Zhang's paintings reminded me of vastness, grandeur, antiquity, simplicity, desolation... These are the terms that have been used for centuries by the Chinese to describe poetry and painting. Zhang was almost alone in his struggle, aiming to connect contemporary art with traditional aesthetics and create a contemporary art that embodies Chinese characteristics. Zhang was lonely, but his loneliness foreshadowed a new movement in contemporary Chinese art. This movement didn't become mainstream until a decade later. It is the prevailing Chinese style that we see today. Over a decade ago, I encouraged Zhang to persist in his artistic pursuit and walked with him through those lonely times. I am grateful to Zhang for showing us a new direction in contemporary Chinese art, and for allowing us to finally discuss contemporary art in our own language."
彭鋒教授（左）張方白（右）合照
Professor Peng Feng (Left) and Zhang Fangbai (Right)
《白石圖六號》 White stone No. 6
2023
布面丙烯
Acrylic on Canvas
300 x 400 cm
300 x 200 cm x 2
During Zhang's teaching career at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, he clearly stated his direction of exploring the path of Chinese visual art, and the “Eagle” series that he created during this period sought to connect contemporary art with Chinese aesthetics. Zhang absorbed the influences of European Neo-Painting and German Expressionism, and attempted to incorporate elements of traditional Chinese aesthetic imagery through the absorption and exploration of Chinese calligraphy and ink painting. He sought to achieve a balance between the pursuit of traditional aesthetics within the forms of expressionism, focusing on the harmony between "qi yun" (vitality) and "zhang li" (tension). His technique, known as the "accumulated ink method," utilises a grayscale palette with thick, textured brushstrokes, disrupting the visual order and existing within the intersection of the tangible and intangible, the real and the abstract. In his artistic imagery and creative process, one can perceive his intentions to transform and reconstruct the artistic pursuits of Ba Da Shan Ren (Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou), aiming to explore new forms of Chinese expression.
張方白 Zhang Fangbai
《墨鷹》Ink Eagle
2018
布面油畫
Oil on Canvas
150 x 100 cm
Zhang's works, including the “Eagle”, “Frozen”, “Root” and “White Stone” series, will be featured in “Unrestraint”. By fusing his personal ideological changes, Zhang has created unique configurations that showcase his individuality and artistic expression.
張方白 Zhang Fangbai
《根系列 - 5》Root - 5
2021
布面油畫
Oil on Canvas
200 x 300 cm
As an artist who has witnessed and adapted to the development and changes in contemporary Chinese art over the past four decades, Li Di no longer sees Neo-Expressionism as his own artistic path. Instead, he attempts to dissolve the meaning of artistic spirit within his everyday visual experiences. He seeks to reconstruct the expression of lyrical emotions by returning to the language of painting itself. As early as the 1980s, Li Di drew inspiration from the philosophies and literature that emphasized individual independence. He also absorbed the style of German Neo-Expressionism, which made him question the academic art that he had been adhering to. He realised that in the new era, art needs a purification of ontological language and a deeper integration with social connotations. This purification is not simply a state of accepting or rebelling against contradictions, but also a reflection upon oneself. During Li’s stay in Germany from 1990 to 2010, his creation underwent a transformation as he explored new forms of expression. He broke away from the constraints of academic painting and continued to develop his spontaneous and expressive style.
Li Di standing in front of "Kicking The Heavens", a work he finished in Germany in 2010 before returning to China
Since returning to China in 2010, Li Di has entered a new phase of artistic exploration, characterised by a freer and simpler language. Inspired by the contingency of Chinese Zen painting, he dissociates figures from narrative and replaces the narrative with abstraction.
In “Unrestraint”, it features Li’s "Chung Hwa HB", "Jian Bai", "Ecke" and "Criss-Cross" series. From pencil on wooden panels to charcoal on paper and acrylic on canvas, which showcase the evolution of his painting language after returning to China.
李迪 Li Di
《縱橫》Criss-Cross
2016
布面丙烯
Acrylic on Canvas
250 x 200 cm
李迪 Li Di
《見白 - 1》Jian Bai - 1
2022
紙本炭筆
Charcoal on Paper
90 x 65 cm
With nearly forty years of artistic careers, Li Di and Zhang Fangbai have each explored the boundaries of painting language in an introspective way. “Unrestraint” showcases their exploration and practice of contemporary Chinese expressionist painting, providing a unique opportunity for viewers to explore the artists’ journeys in merging Eastern and Western expressionism. The exhibition also facilitates a dialogue between the two artists, highlighting the ways their works intersect and their artistic vision.
李迪 Li Di
《中華HB - 2》Chung Hwa HB - 2
2015
鉛筆木板
Pencil on Wooden Board
244 x 122 cm
李迪 Li Di
《角》Ecke
2023
布面丙烯
Acrylic on Canvas
120 x 100 cm x 2 pieces
About the Artists
張方白 Zhang Fangbai
Zhang Fangbai (b 1965, Hunan, China)
Currently works in Beijing and Shanghai, China
Graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1991, Zhang is currently a professor at the School of Fine Arts of East China Normal University in Shanghai and the director of the Chinese Expressive Arts Research Center at the School. Zhang's works are mostly in black and white. Through the collision of two different media, oil paint and Chinese ink, he tries to convey a sense of mystery with an oriental touch and religious meaning.
Zhang has been awarded the "International Outstanding Artist Award" by the Austrian Ministry of Culture. His works are collected by National Art Museum of China in Beijing, National Museum of China in Beijing, CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, China Art Palace in Shanghai, Guangdong Museum of Art and Ludwig Museum in Koblenz, Germany among others.
李迪 Li Di
Li Di (b 1963, Inner Mongolia, China)
Currently lives and works in Beijing & Ningbo, China and Braunschweig, Germany
Graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1986 and obtained a Master's degree from Free Art of the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig in 1996. Li serves as a mentor for the Performance and Abstract Art Research Program at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, a mentor for graduate students at the School of Experimental Art of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, and a distinguished professor at the School of Design and Art at College of Science and Technology at Ningbo University.
Li’s works are collected by private collectors and important institutions both domestically and internationally, including the National Art Museum of China (Beijing), Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing), Long Museum (Shanghai), Art Museum of Ningbo (Ningbo), Yuan Art Museum (Beijing), National Grand Theater Art Gallery (Beijing), Nin Jiom Arts and Culture Foundation (Hong Kong), Rockefeller Art Foundation (New York), Brunswick City Government (Brunswick), and the Wolfenbüttel National Library (Wolfenbüttel) among others.
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