This exhibition continues the Turchin Center’s international focus on contemporary Asian artists through the presentation of works created in China, Japan, Korea and the United States. The center’s staff worked with international artist and educator Kichung Lizee and Korean doctoral student Kim Jue-Whe to curate this exciting exhibition. Lizee lives in Butler, TN and is currently working in Korea. She was most recently honored with a Special Award for her work exhibited at the Seoul International Calligraphy Biennial. Kim is a doctoral student of Eastern Calligraphy in Tokyo, an exhibiting artist, a magazine correspondent and operates a calligraphy academy.
More than 25 artists present their work influenced by traditional calligraphy and three philosophical principles: Yin and Yang – or unity in opposites; wabi sabi – or the art of finding beauty in imperfection, understanding in nature, and of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death; and stillness/movement – or within stillness, there is movement and within movement, there is stillness. While in Beijing’s National Art Museum the center’s delegation experienced a major calligraphy exhibition. Many of the museums 13 beautiful exhibition halls were filled from ceiling to floor with all sizes of scrolls. The curator there reminded the group just how important calligraphy is to Chinese, and all Asian, art. In fact, many traditionalists consider calligraphy and painting “the fine arts.” In any case, it has been an integral component of Asian art for thousands of years, and continues to stand on its own as well as provide a major influence for contemporary artists working in more non-traditional modes.
Kichung Lizee, Untitled. Acrylic. Image courtesy of the artist.