Ink Clouds

‘This is one of a series of works on ink and shadow from about 2000 to 2008. Inspired by a legend in ancient China, it recalls a group of scholars who witnessed a special scene at night during the Five Dynasties and the Five Kingdoms many years ago. The moonlight projects the shadow of the bamboo onto window paper, forming the black shadow of bamboo branches and leaves. Stirred by this enlightenment, the literati artists created the first ink bamboo painting. After that, the Chinese literati inherited this tradition and developed it into a special genre of ink painting. In this legend, the shadow gives innumerable inspiration to future generations of artists in the form of nothingness. Similarly, the eye glanced at the bamboo and its shadow on the white paper stuck to the window. Chance encounters appear to be the most natural for the Chinese literati. In my work, I still carry with me the spirit of ink art. I use more transparent materials – a bluer ink to mix with water and oil. Then this ink, floating in space, in the exhibition hall is finally completed by the lighting. The free-form projection on the white wall, of course, eventually allows the viewer to piece it all together as a a complete "painting". I hope this piece of work, shaped by light and nature, also displays the aesthetics of the Chinese literati in the face of nothingness. Imagination beyond the material form. An accidental discovery. Advocating for the natural shape.’

- Sun Liang