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Exhibition

Transvangarde: Luminous Matter

10 Apr-17 May 2025
PV 9 Apr 2025, 6-8.30pm

October Gallery
London WC1N 3AL
Egg shape B Red, 2024, Stainless steel, acrylic, aluminium disc, mechanical transmission, LED, PE resin, alloy 62 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm. Credit: © Xu Zhongmin. Courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London. Photo © Xu Zhongmin.

Overview

October Gallery presents Transvangarde: Luminous Matter, an exhibition that investigates the diverse outcomes of a meditative approach to artistic practice. Each of the artists presented was raised in the vitally different milieux of the near and far east. Each brings a fresh perspective to illuminate their experience of the world, as underpinned and enriched by the cultural and philosophical predispositions of places far beyond the western pale. 

Central to this theme of interactive exchange between worldsare fascinating new works by the Chinese artist, Xu Zhongmin. His most recent Egg Series are dynamic sculptures which radiate with a bewitching luminescence that plays with and challenges the spectators’ understanding of just what it is they are seeing. 

Other highlights include ethereal paintings of Kenji Yoshida that consist of gold, silver and precious metals on painted canvases, while paintings by Govinda Sah ‘Azad are reinforced by his fascination with the indeterminate matter of clouds which allows him to meditate upon the more spiritual aspects of Nature. 

Renowned for his monochromatic canvases in striking colours, Tian Wei explores the plasticity of the written word and its associated fluidity of meaning. Golnaz Fathi’s works are paintings with an instinctively bold abstraction informed by her former rigorous training in calligraphy, expressing emotions on canvas that go far beyond the realm of simple words. 

Jukhee Kwon creates works from abandoned and disused books. Recently, Kwon has begun working with traditional Korean techniques of folding paper, (jong-i jeobgi) in which a painstakingly precise, almost meditative concentration, is required to fold pages. Also exhibited are arresting large-scale photographic works by Huang Xu from his Flower Series. By using high resolution 3D scanners, he creates subtle effects by compressing the superabundant data down to produce images of haunting luminosity.

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Artists

Golnaz Fathi

Iranian, b. 1972

Jukhee Kwon

South Korean, b. 1981

Tian Wei

Chinese, b. 1955

Xu Zhongmin

Chinese, b. 1961

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