MIND-SCAPE VI: 1980s to Present

The Metropolitan Museum’s important 2013 ‘Ink Art: Past as Present’ confirmed what many of us have been championing: that ink art has not only an illustrious past but a vibrant present. I am delighted that we are staging the sixth edition of Mind-Scape whose participants are acutely aware of the deep roots of Chinese ink in ancient Chinese philosophy, but also understand that ink art, if practised now, has to be made anew. I am thrilled to showcase such a group of artists whose use of ink is wonderfully various as well as compelling.

- Calvin Hui, co-founder of 3812 Gallery

3812 Gallery is delighted to announce the return of its Mind-Scape exhibition series, now in its sixth edition, at 3812 London ongoing until 6 May 2023. First launched in 2013, Mind-Scape VI 2023 is curated to examine contemporary ink art through the works of artists living in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Ranging from 1980s to present, the selection of artworks also illustrates how ink art can range from traditional Xuan paper to the integration of technology and ink.

Featuring works by Ma Desheng, Wang Jieyin, Victor Wong, Raymond Fung, Leung Kui Ting, Chloe Ho, Kassia Ko and Yang Yanling, Mind-Scape VI continues to reveal the transformation of Chinese modern art to contemporary art today. All of the artists stay loyal to Eastern spirituality and exhibit their individual understanding of how the “mind” of ancient wisdoms is fused with “art” as self-expression.

Ma Desheng’s (b.1952) Shadowed Landscape (1982) marks the emergence of contemporary ink art after China opened up to the world in 1979. Ma was co-founder of the Stars Art Group and uses powerful abstract brushstrokes, and a liberal approach to composition, that modernised Chinese landscape painting.

Wang Jieyin’s (b.1941) series of paintings such as Landscapes Notes and Ethereal explore the clash of space between modern cityscapes and nature. Orderly arranged dots interweave with

semi-abstract landscapes and the artist reinterprets the traditions of landscape based on his experience of contemporary urban China.

Victor Wong (b.1966), probably the first artist, along with his creation AI Gemini, explores and depicts the moonscape through the application of big data technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Wong brings ink art to a whole new level, expanding the possibilities that technology can offer creativity, whilst mindfully exploring the challenges of the relationship between artist and creator.

Raymond Fung (b. 1952), a renowned Hong Kong architect, deviates from traditional ink methods. His paintings are textured and multi layered, glimmering and shining with mineral pigments and splashes of colour, over laid upon the underlying ink. His tall, narrow polyptychs, showing his imagined abstract landscapes, create a rhythmic momentum through space.

In Leung Kui Ting’s (b. 1945) semi-abstract ink on paper works, Leung transforms the ‘form’ within his mind, not with his brushstrokes or the ink itself, but with his artistic impulses- conveying the importance of not only seeing with your eyes but feeling and being at one with nature.

Chloe Ho (b.1987) is an international artist who explores her multicultural backgrounds (Hong Kong and USA), combining elements of East and West and pushing the boundaries of ink as a medium. Ho maintains an eye for the unexpected, yet aesthetically familiar as she focuses on the nature of existence, man's relation to nature and its place in the universe.

Kassia Ko's (b.1961) paintings illustrate atmospheric Hong Kong landscapes and airy expressions of her local environment, painted partly en plein air before moving to her studio, and using meticulous brushwork and mono colour schemes to present a passage in time.

Yang Yanling (b.1974) specialises in the gongbi technique which creates an accurate and delicate depiction of the motif, carefully portraying microscopic views of flowers in ink.

Since 2013, the annual Mind-Scape exhibitions have marked the development of the ink art movement over the past decade. In Mind-Scape VI, TECH-ink artist Victor Wong, reveals his unique view on future ink art development when facing unstoppable A.I. technology:

While traditional Chinese ink painting has a long history and is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and philosophy, technology has brought new tools and techniques that have expanded the possibilities of ink painting and created new forms of artistic expression. Technology has also raised questions about the preservation of traditional culture and the impact of technology on artistic expression. We should remember that this technology should be viewed as a tool to support and enhance traditional techniques, rather than a replacement for them.

- Victor Wong, TECH-ink artist

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