A literary extravaganza is about to astonish Taiwan in the early spring of 2010. Gao Xingjian, the first Asian Nobel Prize winner in Literature, will visit Taiwan this April. Gao Xingjian, invited by Xin-Di Literature, will have a new art exhibition Light and Shadow organized by Asia Arts Center, the gallery in long term collaboration with Gao. It has been 2 years since his last exhibition in Taiwan. Gao Xingjian who just celebrated his 70th birthday in London has reached a stage of life when desire and fame no longer induce; he now focuses on conceiving his personal philosophy. Affected by the exposure to different forms of art and the dynamic personal experiences, his works express an insightful consideration for life, space and the universe. Light and Shadow materializes Gao’s view on life through the display of about twenty pieces of recent and earlier works. In the exhibition space”Après le deluge”a short musical film made by the artist will also be played to give the viewers a broader understanding of Gao’s artistic practices.
Gao Xingjian’s paintings convey contemporary inspiration in the form of traditional Chinese ink painting. He has established a new ink wash painting style that is a combination of the techniques for traditional Chinese ink painting and the formal qualities of the modern abstract style from the West. He has well incorporated the monochromatic nature of ink paining to portray the movement of light and to awaken the viewers’ senses and emotion. With his exploration in light and shadow, he brings the viewers into the space and time of meditation. His smooth brush movement is like the gentle rhythm of music that floats in the air, while the blank space gives the viewers unlimited room for imagination. In contrast with the small figurative forms and the quiet atmosphere, the extensive and delicate images create a Zen inspiration, and effectively reflect life marked by vicissitudes.
The famous London based Chinese poet Lian Yang has once said, “Gao Xingjian has truly realized the “genuineness” and “purity” through his works. By applying such achievement to his life, he becomes a real spiritual survivor.” The renown literature critic Tzaifu Liu who currently resides in Hong Kong describes Gao’s works “not only has rooted in but has gone beyond Chinese culture as they search for the value of humanity.” Gao Xingjian vividly expresses his most honest thoughts through his works in both literature and ink painting. Because of this cross cultural expression, he is highly respected by art institutions around the world. In recent years, many galleries and museums such as National Museum of Singapore, Museum Ludwig, and ZKM Museum have organized large-scale retrospective exhibitions for Gao. This April, the solo exhibition of recent works by Gao Xingjian – Light and Shadow will be held in Asia Art Center (Taipei). Every piece of work in the exhibition contains the essence of the artist’s philosophy making the exhibition an absolutely memorable visual delight that you would not want to miss.