Two paintings by Li Huasheng, along with works by 19 other Chinese artists from three different generations, are on view in the exhibition "Jing Shen: The Act of Painting in Contemporary China," which opens on July 10th, 2015, at the Padiglione Arte Contemporanea (PAC) in Milan, Italy. As its title suggests, "Jing Shen"--translated by the organizers as "awareness of the gesture" and "inner strength"--thematizes the mental work that precedes, both temporally and conceptually, any actual painting or calligraphy and undergirds all forms of Chinese art, painting and otherwise. The exhibition argues that classical Chinese art "already contains the ingredients and nutrients of thoughts, attitudes and shapes that represent the richness of contemporary Chinese art," against understandings of the latter as primarily a reflection of or reaction to contemporary Western art.
Part of the program of Expo Milano, "Jing Shen" is jointly organized by PAC and Silvana Editoriale in cooperation with Shanghai's Aurora Museum. It takes places beyond PAC with two special projects at the Soglia Magica, the connection between the Malpensa airport and its railway station, and at the new exhibition space of Feltrinelli Duomo at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. "Jing Shen" will also be the first time an exhibition is on view through augmented reality around Milan, thanks to collaboration with the start-up Bepart – the Public Imagination Movement.
Exhibition dates: July 10th - September 6th, 2015
Official website: http://www.pacmilano.it/en/exhibitions/jing-shen-3/
