Wang Dongling: Ink. Space. Time.

25 May-27 Aug 2023

Overview

For his new, site-specific exhibition at The Heong Gallery, pre-eminent contemporary calligrapher, Wang Dongling, draws upon the writings of legendary Daoist master, Laozi, and Cambridge theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Prof. Stephen Hawking. Rendered in his characteristic 'luan shu' or 'chaos script', texts detach from meaning and dissolve into mark and trace on a monumental scale.

Wang Dongling (b. 1945, Rudong, Jiangsu Province, China) is Director of the Modern Calligraphy Research Centre at the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou. Wang studied fine art at a teacher training college in Nanjing before the institute was closed due to the Cultural Revolution in 1966. While writing posters for the local cultural and education office, Wang discovered his passion for calligraphy, studied with master calligrapher Li Sanzhi, and enrolled in the Zhejiang Academy of Art. Since the 1980s, Wang Dongling has been at the vanguard of reimagining the ancient artform of Chinese calligraphy for contemporary times. His work is in several public collections, including The British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

Ink. Space. Time. is curated by Holly Roussell. Roussell is a Swiss/American museologist, curator and art historian specialising in contemporary art from East Asia and photography. Currently, she is curator for the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing. Roussell has organised more than 20 group and solo exhibitions for festivals, biennale, and museums around the world. Recent and upcoming projects include "Stars 1979”, co-curated with Dr. Wu Hung, OCAT Research Institut, Beijing (2020), "Slide/Show: Light Images in Chinese Contemporary Art”, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (29.4-13.8.2023), and "Civilization: The Way We Live Now” (2.6-17.9.2023 ) Saatchi Gallery, London.

Artists