“Humanity follows the Earth,

the Earth follows Heaven,

Heaven follows the Dao,

and the Dao follows what is natural.”

– Lao Tseu, Tao Te Ching

Art often serves as a mirror to society, showing us how we think about the world and in particular, our relationship with nature. The evolution of representation and symbolism of nature reflects the various currents of thought, philosophical or religious, which have influenced our culture.

OPENART Advisory + Projects’ exhibition, "Impermanence of All Things" is an invitation to observe and explore the representation of nature in contemporary art through the prism of Taoist thought. The title is inspired by aphorisms from The Book of the Way by Lao Tzu. This book echoes the interdependent links between man and nature through this ancient wisdom which suggests this universal connection and preservation of one by the other in total unison.

This exhibition suggests another perspective in which the audience can view the featured artworks, through the discovery of an ancient philosophy and wisdom which has aided in shaping a part of the Asian civilization. “Impermanence of All Things” utilizes the visual arts, and it’s history as a space for reflection, construction, and as an expression of various ways in which we can interpret the world.

Thoughts in the West have been marked by René Descartes’ dualism where nature and culture are separate - which assumes that humans are not an inherent part of nature, and from a notion where we conceptualize nature as an object to be studied and employed by humans to support our growth and evolution..

Far Eastern thoughts nourished largely by Taoism, advocates a harmonious relationship between man and nature. According to this philosophy, antagonisms complement each other, linked by a dynamic interdependence, similar to the yin-yang symbol: one does not exist without the other, one contains the other and one can become the other. Thus, Taoist thought does not offer a dichotomous view of the relationship between man and nature, but rather suggests that each pole is part of the other, and in support of their symbiosis. The importance given to nature is embodied in the history of Asian art through predominant emphasis given to landscape paintings, called shanshui in China, sansu in Korea and sansui in Japan; which translates to "painting of mountains and waters". This landscape painting does not offer representation from a fixed point of view, nor a formal depiction of nature, but strives to signify the creative power of nature and its permanent transformation. Human figures are often depicted on a small scale, reminding us that we are part of nature.

This ever-changing nature and its ephemeral characteristics are a reflection of passage in time. Everything passes and everything changes. The seed grows, the tree expands, its branches grow, and the green leaves unfold, fading before they wither and fall to earth. It can also depict rainwaters and how drops of water hit the land to form a river that flows down the mountain to the ocean, then evaporates to become a sea of clouds. Another example can be seen in mountains and rocks, although symbols of eternity, their permanence is an illusion as they evolve and erode over time. Through the natural elements and their life cycle, we discover ourselves and acknowledge our ever-changing future, impermanent and ephemeral.

This Taoist concept of life’s transience can also be seen in other Eastern philosophies including Buddhism. In Western philosophy, this concept first appeared in Panta Rhei (“Everything Flows”) by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. The still-life Vanitas paintings which flourished in the Netherlands during the 17th century also referenced the transience of life and futility of worldly pleasures with symbolic objects that reminded man of his Memento Mori, and with Romanticism in the late 18th century from Germany, contributed to the development of landscape paintings. Driven by Edmund Burke's theory of the sublime, this literary and pictorial movement gave a spiritual dimension to nature, as evidenced by the mystical paintings of Caspar David Friedrich which depicted the smallness of man in the face of impenetrable and terrifying nature.

Thus, the harmony between man and nature, and the impermanence of all things, are two fundamental principles of Taoist thought. “Impermanence of All Things” features artworks by Li Chevalier, Caroline de Boissieu, Jiang Zhi, Lee Jin Woo, Yang Yongliang and Yao Lu in which nature and landscape become a ground for philosophical expression in the age of ecological awareness.

"Impermanence of All Things" is not an exhibition of Taoist artists. It brings together artists rooted in contemporaneity, whose thought and art are fostered by multiple references, from here and elsewhere and from the past and of current times. Some are from Asia, others live and work in Europe, while some travel between continents, and draw inspiration from their cultural heritage, while others challenge traditions.

At the edge of landscape and abstraction, Li Chevalier's paintings recall the symbolic dimension of the shanshui landscape, a reflection of the artist's soul, while Caroline de Boissieu emphasizes the ambivalent character of water in her series of waves made with Indian ink. Jiang Zhi revisits the genre of still life with his photographs of flowers devoured by flames. Using the natural element of charcoal as a material, Lee Jin Woo invites the viewers to meditate about the circle of life. Whilst taking on the appearance of traditional shanshui landscapes, Yang Yongliang and Yao Lu's photographic montages warn about human activities and the fragility of nature and ecological imbalances caused by human activity.

"Impermanence of All Things” aims to engage the viewers to modify one’s gaze and observe the creation of these artists through the perspective of Taoist beliefs, allowing a new thread of thinking about art and consequently, the world.

Li ChevalieR

Li Chevalier is a Paris based French artist who was born in 1961, in China. She graduated in Fine Arts from the Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London, and gained her post graduate degree in Philosophy and Politics at the Sorbonne University in Paris. At the edge of abstraction and figuration, Li Chevalier explores the expressive power of ink painting on canvas, integrating other materials and techniques (pigments, minerals, sand, paper collage and calligraphy). Using the fluidity of ink and water, she creates semi-abstract landscapes inviting the viewer to a short philosophical and spiritual retreat.

lee jin woo

Lee Jin Woo (b. 1959 in Seoul, Korea) is a Korean artist based in Paris, France. He received a degree in Fine Arts from University of Sejong in Korea in 1983 and from University of Paris VIII in 1986. Lee is part of a younger generation of Korean artists
who were influenced by the Dansaekhwa group from mid 1970’s that connected the viewers to the spiritual and meditative principles through their artworks. Lee’s creative and artistic approach is often meditative which can be seen in his textured monochromatic works utilizing hanji Korean paper and charcoal materials, and frequently incorporating elements of “repetition, training and spirituality” seen in the works by Dansaekhwa artists.

Yang Yongliang

Yang Yongliang, born in 1980, Shanghai, China, was trained in traditional Chinese art since early childhood, later graduating in 2003 from China Academy of Art, Shanghai with further studies in Visual Communication. He teaches at Shanghai Institute of Vision Art and lives and works between New York and Shanghai. He exploits the connection between traditional art and the contemporary by implementing ancient Asian aesthetics and academic beliefs with modern language and digital techniques such as photography, painting and videography.

Caroline de Boissieu

Caroline de Boissieu was born in 1951 in France, Caroline de Boissieu studied Visual Communication at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. After two decades working in styling and design agencies, she focussed on her career as a professional artist in early 2000’s. In her studio, located in the centre of Paris, she develops her art along with artistic projects with architectural firms.

Yao lu

Yao Lu (born in 1967, China) studied Fine Arts at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, China) and Photography at the Queensland College of Arts, Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia). Based in Beijing, China, he is a professor at the Photography Department of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts alongside his artistic practice. Lu’s approach of photography is very contemporary, as he re-assembles and re-edits true images in a fictional way. With his photomontages, he wishes to express contemporary issues: the dramatic development and urbanisation of China, the environmental crisis.

Jiang Zhi

Jiang Zhi was born in 1971 in Yuanjiang, China, Jiang Zhi graduated from the China Academy of Art (CAFA) in 1995. He currently lives and works in Beijing, China. Widely regarded as one of the most versatile Chinese artists of his generation, Jiang Zhi works with a wide range of media, including photography, painting, video and installation as well as publishing volumes of fiction and poetry. Consistently engaging with contemporary social and cultural issues, Jiang consciously positions himself at the intersection of poetics and sociology,

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Portrait of Lou Anmella-de Montalembert by Damien Laudier.

Lou Anmella-de Montalembert | curator

Lou Anmella-de Montalembert (b.1991 in Paris, France) is an art project manager, consultant and first time curator of this online exhibition. She currently lives and works in Paris, France, and graduated from Sorbonne University in Art History in Paris, and Cergy-Pontoise University in Cultural Management. Lou started her career at the luxury department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche where she helped manage the art and design collection, and piloting exhibitions with emerging and renowned artists such as Martin Parr, Ai Weiwei and Chiharu Shiota. Passionate about Chinese art and Asian cultures, she moved to China in 2017 where she participated in curating of photography exhibitions at M97 Gallery in Shanghai. Since 2018 with her agency Maison Jade Art, Lou is committed to facilitating the knowledge and circulation of artistic creations between France and China, Asia and Europe. She notably participated in the art fair ASIA NOW Paris as a production and curatorial projects coordinator, and in creation of a cross art residency program between France and China. She now collaborates with Vazieux Art Gallery in Paris to develop the program and curation for emerging and established Asian artists. She is also the co-founder of the French non-profit association ACA project which focuses on understanding Asian contemporary art to the French audience through an online platform, conferences and art visits in Paris, France.

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@maisonjadeart

impermanence of all thingsLi Chevalier • Caroline de Boissieu • Lee Jin Woo

Yao Lu • Yang Yongliang • Jiang ZhiFebruary.24 - JUNE.26.2022