Ink Remix: contemporary art from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong

A touring exhibition organised by Canberra Museum and Gallery.

Contemporary ink art has emerged in recent years as one of the most important artistic trends in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and it is attracting significant international attention. This is the first exhibition presented in Australia to focus on this theme, and it features works in a range of media by 14 established and emerging artists from the region. These artists share a common interest in the idea of ink as a mutable and fertile field of artistic enquiry that they are exploring in innovative, playful and sometimes subversive ways.

East Asia has a long tradition of ink painting, yet it is often regarded as a quintessentially Chinese medium. In the West it is widely associated with ancient Chinese calligraphic scrolls and paintings depicting sublime, mythical landscapes painted in monochromatic washes using ink and brush (bi mo). This exhibition offers new ways of thinking about ink as a multifaceted and dynamic form of visual expression that is being embraced and reinterpreted by increasing numbers of contemporary artists in the region. These artists are searching for a new language that is simultaneously local and global and connects the past with the present and future. The exhibition highlights these artists’ unique and shared, individual, cultural and regional perspectives.

INK REMIX emphasises the new and innovative aspects of contemporary ink art and it offers different ways of thinking about ink art as a contemporary and culturally heterogeneous form of visual expression that is not defined or restricted by style, subject or media. The exhibition features works in diverse media including painting, photography, ink jet prints, video and animation, as well as works in Coca-Cola on silk, tea and biro. The majority of works of art in this exhibition have been produced within the last decade, and several artists have created works especially for this project.

Please note: Bendigo Art Gallery is closed on Mondays

Curated by Sophie McIntyre.

Image credit: (cropped) Yao Jui-chung, Yao’s Journey to Australia 2015, biro, oil pen with gold leaf on Indian handmade paper, 200 x 546 x 6cm. Courtesy of the artist and Tina Keng Gallery