DECEMBER 2006 SEASONS, TRANSFORMATIONS, CREATIVITY AND NATURE
Lily Pietryka

SEASONS

With Christmas and New Year right around the corner, this is the season that arouses special sentiments and emotions. It is a heart-warming season. It is a time of gift giving and generosity; it is a time when families and friends get together; it is a time of celebration. But to some it is also a season of anxiety and sadness. Lonely people are reminded of how alone they are. We anticipate the New Year’s coming but the same time secretly lamenting the passing of time. Another year has ended. Can we look back with only appreciation and gratefulness and no regrets? How are we going to face the transition of ending and beginning?

Du Pingrang--"Spring and Fall"

Every ending is a new beginning. Whether we truly believe in it or not, it is true. So often we cling to an ending and hope that it will stay the way we were used to. Because the old warrants familiarity and gives a false sense of security. But as we all know, as much as we are averse to uncertainty, the only constant in life is constant change. The only way to deal with change is to welcome instead of resisting it. To hollow out and be open; to stay agile and compliant; to anticipate and participate; to change and grow with it.

There is a rhythm in everything. Night and day; happiness and sad; work and play; together and apart; win and lose; young and old; sunny and cloudy days; four seasons...

Can we image when life stands still even at the most desirable place? Can we imagine being 21 forever and never growing old - how do we gain our wisdom and learn our life lessons? Can we imagine if every day was a party and we never had to work - how would we appreciate the fruits of our labor? Can we imagine lovers that never parted - how do we learn to miss somebody? And a season that never changes? How complacent that would be? How do we grow? And without growth, isn’t life like some form of death?

So with this special season approaching, let’s welcome it with open hearts. Let’s leave our regrets to yesterday and anticipate and welcome each change in life. Take it as a chance to learn and grow.

TRANSFORMATION

Wang Niandong: "Butterfly"

With each change in life, there is a transformation taking place. Even the changes that are perceived as bad and highly disruptive. And usually out of those changes come the most breathtaking transformation! Sometimes in a tangible form, sometimes much deeper. Wang Niandong’s "Butterfly" (see picture left) attempts to depict this transformation.

In psychological symbol world, a butterfly symbolizes freedom and beauty, born from a cocoon and ugliness. It symbolizes death and rebirth; body and soul; reality and dreams.

The most significant symbol of a butterfly is the transformation: the ugly caterpillar changes into a cocoon and out of the cocoon breaks free the most beautiful, frail and dream-like creature!

We must dare to leave our cocoon and spread our ideal wings. The caterpillar anticipates tomorrow with a pair of beautiful wings, but to get there it needs to break the cocoon that it lives in. It is a struggle. Transformation is never easy and can be painful. Breaking the cocoon means leaving security. Which can be frightening. But the end of the journey is breathtaking – we spread our wrings and fly.

This is the most magical transformation in life and of life – to give our spirit wings and let it soar into the sky!

CREATIVITY

As in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. This summarizes why the Chinese art world has been on fire. Ever since China opened its doors to the Western world and with the economic boom, Chinese art has flourished.

Zhang Qikai: "Date in the Air"

We all hear that Asian students are the best students in the academic world. It holds true in China as well. The result of hard work plus talent is academic excellence. That is what Chinese artists have. Every artist that I represent or know in China is a great technician. The difference between a good technician and a great artist resides in creation. The careful observation and faithful portrayal of a subject is not creation. Creation comes from an individual’s mind – the thoughts, ideas and the vision. And the individual voice they find to convey this vision to the world.

Give this sound technical background, once the political climate changed and artists were free to explore with their minds, to create and express themselves, it resulted in an Chinese art world for the world to behold! The eyes are on China because of its economic boom. And the eyes are focused on the Chinese art market because it is on fire! To read more about the how heated the Chinese art market is, please refer to "The Great CHINA Sale" in Time magazine (November 27, 2006 issue) and the New York Times (November 29, 2006 issue).

We can see that the Chinese artists ponder all the fundamental issues such as the politics, ideology, spirituality and human sexuality. There are reflections of the past such as the Cultural Revolution; and there is a capturing of the present, such as the up and coming urban youth; there is satire regarding the intrusion of the Western culture; and there is also this internal conflict and struggle – a critical reflection of the past but reluctance for a total negation.

NATURE

E Guijun: "Silence"

Nature is such a big word. What is nature? Nature is the leaves turning in the woods; nature is season’s change; nature is birth and death; nature is falling in love; nature is also storms and disasters. Nature is us; we are nature. I forgot where I read this: “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. Any man’s defeat weakens me, because my faith resides in human spirit.”

Nature is us, we are nature. We are more the same than different as human beings. Human nature and spirit reside in all of us.

Why is art universal? Why do we appreciate art from different culture and places in the world? How do we feel when we stand in front of E Guijun’s "Silence" (see picture above)? How can we not feel this profound tranquility and peace, as if a river runs through calmly? How can we not feel the mysterious air at night and be touched by it?

Art is in all of us. Timeless and crossing all physical boundaries.