Shared Inspiration

by Yi Mei

The vast land of Asia is home to 4.5 billion people descended from ancient civilizations which nurtured diverse cultures and colorful arts. On May 10， 2019， “Shared Inspiration—Asian Art Exhibition” opened at the National Art Museum of China （NAMOC） as part of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations， displaying 130 pieces by 120 artists from 41 Asian countries （Russia included）.

The exhibition is divided into three parts： “Expression of the East” showcases the poetic beauty of Asian arts， “Beauty of China”exhibits works depicting Chinas cultural and natural landscapes by artists from other Asian nations， and“Charm of Asia” displays creations by Chinse artists portraying other Asian countries.

Expression of the East

Contrasting with European civilizations influenced largely by ancient Greece and Rome， Asian civilizations， involving diverse religions and races， can hardly be represented in a unified tone. So， some exhibitions related to Asia can hardly escape curating models from a Western perspective which tend to use installations， performance arts and videos to highlight race， indentity and gender issues. But despite the philosophical differences of many great thinkers hailing from Asia such as Shakyamuni， Lao Tzu and Confucius， they all promoted the same thing： feeling and caring for the world with heart. Their instincts to seek truth and wisdom from life nurtured the free spirit of Asian culture.

The section “Expression of the East” looks to capture the poetic beauty of Asian art. Works by Chinese artists in this section focus on the “lotus，” which sounds similar to “peace” in Chinese and thus the flower gains connotations of peace and harmony. These works convey the peace-loving spirit and inclusiveness of Chinese culture through images of the flowers elegant posture and pure colors.

In addition to works from eight Chinese artists， this section includes 67 paitings and sculptures by artists from 39 countries. Those creations all display the beauty of Eastern expression in terms of both method and concept.

“This exhibtion clearly presents a different curating method，”remarks Niu Kecheng， director of the Institute of Fine Arts under the Chinese National Academy of Arts. “The highlight of the exhibition is its firm grasp of the most essential and leading cultural ethos of Asia. This is why it is so valuable.”

Chinese Beauty

Walking through the exhibition hall， visitors will find that except for Chinas ink-and-wash paintings and Vietnams lacquer paintings， every piece is an oil painting， watercolor， sculpture or print. Although European plastic arts have greatly influenced Asian artists， works featuring European realistic style and reproducing shape are hardly found at this exhibition.

“Despite the fact that some Asian artists employ Western artistic languages such as oil painting， watercolor and print， their works still are imprinted with Asian characteristics rooted in Chinas human-nature integration philosophy proposed by Lao Tzu and Confucius， Indias Buddhism and mysticism and Islamic civilization，” explains Shang Hui， chief editor of Art magazine. He believes the Asian visual system developed by Asian civilizations is a kind of conceptual system starkly different from European art which focuses on reproduction—putting the subjective and the objective on opposite sides. “Just because of this difference， we find that when Asian artists process images， they are all conscious of lines and inspiration of strokes，” Shang adds. “So lines and strokes are common focuses for Asian artists.”

A survey of works by Asian artists reveals a change in creation， which is fully illuminated by the exhibitions second and third parts. For example， the section “Beauty of China” includes 24 works by 20 artists from 13 countries including Bahrain， Bangladesh， India， Jordan， Kuwait， Lebanon， the Maldives， Oman， Pakistan， Palestine， Sri Lanka， the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. When these artists make expressions about China， they still embrace the artistic traits of their respective countries. This implies that， regardless of the target of expression， the core culture of the artist remains effective.

The Great Wall by Pakistani artist Masood A. Khan created a version of the Great Wall in an abstract and layered space， making it familiar but also strange for the Chinese audience， while Palestinian artist Majed Shala employed bold and bright colors to paint the famous Dunhuang Grottoes， a cultural wonder in a desert which is often depicted with more modest colors by Chinese painters.

“Chinese spectators have seldom had the chance to see works like these，” remarks Wu Weishan， director of NAMOC. “For example， Khan painted the Great Wall from a very different aesthetic perspective from ours. This is the aim of this exhibition： to display the creative beauty of different civilizations.”

Asian Charm

Renowned Chinese sociologist Fei Xiaotong proposed a 16-Chinese-character proverb to describe the relations between different civilizations， which is literally translated to mean that people should appreciate the beauty of the culture they created while inclusively admiring the beauty of cultures created by others， and this will contribute to the flourishing of all cultures and an ideal world of great harmony. This exhibition intends to encapsulate the proverb.

Prior to the 19th century， few Chinese artists ventured overseas， leading to few works depicting foreign cultural or natural landscapes. Between the late 19th century and the early 20th century， many Chinese artists traveled to North America， Japan and Europe to study art， resulting in many works featuring landscapes of Japan， Europe and North America. In the 1930s and 1940s， especially during the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression， many Chinese artists escaped to Southeast Asian countries and completed works while taking refuge in the region. Since 1949， when the Peoples Republic of China was founded， especially after the beginning of Chinas reform and opening up in the late 1970s， Chinese artists have found more and more chances to go abroad to conduct cultural exchange and studies， creating many masterpieces depicting exotic lands along the way.

The “Charm of Asia” section features 31 works by 31 Chinese artists depicting local customs and natural beauty of countries such as Cambodia， the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea， the Maldives， Pakistan and South Korea. The dates of these works span about a century， and some are embedded with strong characteristics of the times. But they share the same appreciative and non-discriminatory perspectives with respect and admiration for various cultures， languages and philosophies.

“Today， Asian artists no longer doubt our common cultural identity as we stand together against common social problems，” states Niu. “Only by maintaining diversity throughout the process of integration and innovation will we find the best solutions. And the first step is seeking out dialogue. Asian artists have often looked to New York and London， but actually we should pay more attention to our neighbors when seeking exchange and mutual learning， because we are all part of the same Asia.”