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traditional culture. This can be seen in the rising
popularity of guoxue (‘Country Studies’) or in
art, guohua (‘Country’ or ‘Traditional’ painting).
This resurgence of traditional culture has a great
capacity to be a positive force, but there are
certain challenges that arise when it comes to
incorporating ancient teachings, like those of
Confucius, into modern society. It is this friction
that these artists are trying to explore.’
? At first glance, many of the works on display do
not immediately betray a clear link with the literati.
For instance, Girolamo Marri’s ‘The Mysterious
Master…’ a sculpture comprised of waste
consumer goods, seems firmly planted in the
contemporary. However, his performance piece,
embedded in the sculpture, irreverently examines
the implications of the literati looking only into
the past for wisdom, rather than formulating new
ideas. ‘It’s questioning the value of the ancient
texts,’ says Rebecca. ‘The performance piece, with
the disciples repeating the words of the master, is
exploring how knowledge is passed down through
the ages. The point is, since so much from the
past can be misinterpreted in the present, since so
much can be lost in translation, is there any point
in looking to the ancient texts at all?’
?Monika Lin also explores the disjuncture
between past and present values through her
woodcut illustrations of ‘The 24 Exemplars,’
Confucian parables regarding filial piety. She
juxtaposes her intense scenes with a copy of
the recently introduced law for the ‘Protection
of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly’. Filial
piety, respect for one’s elder relatives, is a pillar of
Confucian philosophy, but the stresses inherent to
modernity mean that it is not as easily observed
by today’s youth. We’ve all heard of the strange
stories of an elderly person suing their child
for failing to visit regularly or provide financial
support. ‘There was a recent case in Wuxi, when
a 77 year old woman took her daughter to court
for failing to visit,’ remarks Rebecca. ‘The artist is
trying to comment on the difficulties with these
ancient teachings translating into a completely
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different social structure.’
? Andy Mo’s drawings are equally provocative.
‘Bamboo Grove’ depicts flimsy looking bamboo
shoots shackled together with more bamboo to
prevent them from toppling in the wind. It is an
image heavy with symbolism. ‘Bamboo was a
symbol of the literati’ Rebecca considers. ‘A junzi
(Gentleman) was meant to have the qualities of
bamboo: bending but not breaking. That is to
say, flexible, able to compromise, but never giving
up their principles.’ In this context, Mo’s shackled
bamboo makes a clear statement of the artist’s
belief that being confined within such a rigid
system of thought stifled the literati’s capacity for
individual expression.
? Elsewhere, Chai Yiming’s chaotic storyboards
look at the seedier side of literati life. Basing his
story loosely around ‘Journey into the West’ and
illustrating in a style similar to early Japanese
manga, Chai creates a world rife with bizarre
characters, perversions and innuendo. Perhaps
most impressive of all is Li Xiaofei’s ‘Bag of Salt,’
a harrowing video installation that explores the
area surrounding a rural sodium sulphate factory.
The colours of the film are muted to reflect the
palette of traditional landscape painting, whilst
the artist tries to find something of the ancient
amidst the patterns and contours of this industrial
wasteland. ‘Meditation, solitude and communing
with nature were all very important aspects of the
Literati’s existence,’ Rebecca says, ‘but this work
is asking the question of whether it is possible to
do that anymore. Where do you go to meditate in
modern China?’
? Whilst OV Gallery features several artists who
re-appraise the literati tradition in conceptual
terms, Art+ Shanghai’s ‘Scholar’s Studio’ features
three renowned artists who look at their literati
inheritance from a more stylistic point of view.
‘Yu Peng is not only influenced heavily by literati
tradition, he lives his life in a similar way to the
literati,’ considers Lucine Yu, manager of the
exhibition. ‘He wears old fashioned clothes, and
tends his garden daily, always adding things »
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