Gallery Elena Shchukina, 3 November 2016 – 13 January 2017
“When Chinese Contemporary Calligraphy Encounters Western Art”
Gallery Elena Shchukina presents Weaving Threads of Silk, an exhibition of paintings by Shanghai-based artist TSAI YuLung.
TSAI YuLung (TSAI YuLong) is best known for his calligraphy painting. In this exhibition, TSAI presents works exploring his long-standing interest in the encounter between traditional Chinese calligraphy and contemporary Western art.
Since his time as a student of Western Drawing at the National Taiwan University of Arts, Tsai’s practice focused on the study of the fusion of Chinese and Western art. An initial turning point towards developing his current style occurred in 1992. Finding himself at ‘the lowest point in his life’, Tsai embraced the Buddhist tradition of practicing calligraphy as a way of meditating. He eventually found new inspiration in the spiral of a loofah plant and began incorporating calligraphy elements into his abstract painting, ultimately achieving his own style of contemporary calligraphy painting.
Tsai’s style has evolved from a delicate balancing of tradition and originality, his ever-evolving style taking inspiration from the ancient art of calligraphy. As he describes, “I have inherited my feelings and my personal characteristics from my ancestors, but the continual arrangement of my calligraphy, the atmosphere, and the aura, are created by me … I am writing a diary for the old and the next generation.”
