Who Would Have Expected to Encounter Ni Zan's Gentlemen in S-Chanf?
40 kilograms of Chinese ink, three snow pine trees, soil
Special commissioned project by Arthub Asia for SHContemporary Art Fair
Shangai, China
September 8-10, 2011
Captivated by Chinese ink's resilience and simultaneous gentleness, Jennifer Wen Ma creates a stunning new installation. Her fragile and poetic three-dimensional tableau vivant, inspired by traditional Chinese landscape, features three snow pines, painted black by the artist with 40 kilograms of Chinese mo, in an attempt to create an effect as powerful-if not more-of classic ink painting compositions.
As Ma poetically transcends the traditional legacy of ink, her installation allows plants to grow in time, referring both conceptually and formally to the significant time component of the use of ink in Chinese painting.