EXHIBITION

Carrier Lacquer,Lacquer Carrier

In "The Origin of the Work of Art," Heidegger contrasts a pair of farmer's shoes with those depicted in Van Gogh's paintings, exploring the usefulness of tools and the differing implications of artworks versus the ordinary uses of daily tools. He explains that it is precisely through their everyday uselessness that artworks become containers for spiritual dimensions that transcend reality. 

Ma Gaoxian, in his own practice, realized the conflict between the material language of lacquer and its sculptural language. He chose to abandon the traditional forms of lacquer art, reducing them to mere geometric shapes, thereby allowing the aesthetic beauty of lacquer materials to be purely revealed. His childhood memory of a mirror making the indoor space appear larger inspired him to recently begin compressing the volume of his works into a flat plane. It is this continuous reduction that has freed his lacquered works from the historical burden of traditional lacquer, allowing lacquer to return to its essence. This has enabled him to reawaken the material aesthetic and craftsmanship of lacquering. In his method of reduction, traditional lacquer craftsmanship has been elevated from practical objects to artworks, thereby embodying a humanistic spirit that transcends utility. This reduction also possesses a modern characteristic, and this individual choice simultaneously manifests modernity.

 My "Shou Qi" series has often been mistakenly assumed to use traditional lacquer materials. In fact, just as ink is merely a material but carries a heavy humanistic weight, traditional lacquer is similarly burdened. Therefore, I have always been hesitant to touch these traditional materials. "Shou Qi" tells a traditional story using a very modern formal language. An elderly person, realizing their impending death, prepares a coffin as part of their final arrangements. If they are still alive on the same day the following year, they will apply a coat of paint to this coffin, repeating this process annually. I have extracted this layered application and, using a simple flat painting technique, applied ordinary paint to the canvas, leaving an edge with each layer, making the work appear like a slice of a tree ring. Its content points to the fact that humans exist in time, their appearance constantly changing, yet the unchanged subject remains certain. 

At the level of linguistic expression and methodology, I and Ma Gaoxian engage in a dialogue in this exhibition through two completely different approaches, pursuing a consistent interest and innovating in form without being constrained by a single style, thus keeping the traditional craftsmanship spirit alive. In the formation of objects, the metaphor of humans as useful tools, and the breakthrough in keeping pace with the times, we establish a spiritual connection embodying the idea that "a gentleman is not a mere utensil."

Article: Wang GuangLe