Leiko Ikemura - 14 Shanghai

"Wild Heart: Art Exhibition of German Neo-Expressionism Since the 1960s"

"狂野的心20世纪60年代以来的德国新表现主义艺术展"

01. 08. 2014 - 30. 09. 2014, China Art Museum Shanghai

Artists: Peter Angermann, Georg Baselitz, Peter Bömmels, Werner Büttner, Carl Friedrich Claus, Peter Chevalier, Jiri Dokoupil, Rainer Fetting, Rainer Gross, Bernhard Heisig, K.H. Hoedicke, Jörg Immendorff, Leiko Ikemura, Anselm Kiefer, Martin Kippenberger, Karin Kneffel, Dieter Krieg, Daniel Richter, Gerhard Richter, Markus Lüpertz, Albert Oehlen, A.R. Penck, Sigmar Polke, Neo Rauch, Salomé, Seo, Klaus Hähner-Springmühl, Norbert Tadeusz, Werner Tübke, Maik Wolf, Bernd Zimmer

Curators: Prof. Dr. Beate Reifenscheid, Prof. Qi Yang

The exhibition is part of the biggest exhibition this summer 2014 at the China Art Museum and is titeled: "Together: 2014 Gallery Group Exhibition / 同行2014美术馆联合展走入中华艺术宫." It involves an unprecedented seven exhibits simultaneously, all dealing with the style of expressionism. Paintings from Chinese and Western countries are included.

Expressionism painting was almost a spiritual base for pursuit of Chinas earlier education at art academies, says Xu Jiang, director of China Academy of Fine Arts and chief counselor of the exhibition. In fact, expressionism painting echoes with Oriental implicative painting. However, for a long time, Expressionism was attacked by the mainstream that was dominated with realism and traditional Chinese painting in the country.

In the early 1980s, under Chinas opening-up policy, Expressionism soon emerged as a rebellious spirit. One of the meanings of Expressionism lies in the power of observation, Xu says. The mission of painting is actually making the invisible into the visible. For visitors who are curious about the development of Expressionism in China or how the Expressionism trend varied in the West, this is a must-see exhibit.

Through these seven exhibitions, we are trying to build a platform for an academic dialogue between the East and the West, say Shi Dawei, director of the China Art Museum. For example, we selected the paintings from ten masters of Chinese art history of the 20th century to unveil the implicative style with Expressionism elements in Chinese modern painting. Besides the Chinese heavyweights such as Guan Liang and Lin Fengmian, visitors will find Western masters like Ansel Kiefer and Jorg Immendorff.

Today, the digital era almost thoroughly changed our life. Only a finger touch on your smartphone or iPad opens a new visual world, says Xu. But through these exhibitions, we want to readdress the importance of hand labor in art with a profound consideration of life and art. Visual art is not about something that the finger slides or touches, I hope that more visitors can come and see the exhibitions here at the museum. The visual power and experience is truly hidden behind these artworks.

The seven exhibitions are titeled:

- "General Transformation, Profound Significance: 10 Samples of 20th Century Chinese Art"

- "Chinese New Expressionism: Special Invitation Exhibition 1980-2014"

- "Painting of Being-there: Art Exhibition of 20 Years Chinese Figurative Expressionism"

- "Wild Heart: Art Exhibition of German Neo-Expressionism Since the 1960s"

- "Dazzling: Exhibition of Italian Expressive Arts in the Second Half of the 20th Century"

- "Extend Your Fist: Paintings of Exhibit of Ecuadorian Master Oswaldo Guayasamin"

- "My Children, Spring is Coming: Exhibition of German Old Master Kathe Kollwitz"

Among others are works of the following artists part of this extensive exhibition:

Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi, Lin Fengmian, Oswaldo Guayasamin, Kaethe Kollwitz, Guan Liang, Mimmo Palladino, Mario Schifano, a. o.

Chief counselor of the exhibition "Together: 2014 Gallery Group Exhibition":

Xu Jiang, director of China Academy of Fine Arts

China Art Museum

161 Shangnan Road, Pudong

Shanghai

China

T:+86 400 921 9021

sources:

www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/art-and-culture/Expressionism-paintings-impress-at-art-museum/shdaily.shtml

www.sh-artmuseum.org.cn/LatestInfo/NewsDetail.aspx

china.artmuseumonline.org/LatestInfo/NewsDetail.aspx