Jiang Miao: Lustre of Hope

HONG KONG / H Queen’s

Sept 3 - Oct 22, 2022

INTRODUCTION

Whitestone Gallery H Queen's is honored to present 'Lustre of Hope', the first solo exhibition of Chinese artist Jiang Miao in Whitestone's gallery space in Hong Kong. In this exhibition, oil paintings, prints, and carving works from her 'Life' series are presented. It also showcases the latest creations from the artist, which reveal her continuous exploration of the philosophy of life, presenting her ingenious paintings and bringing a journey of reflection and inspiration to the audience.

Jiang Miao

Jiang Miao's works from various series seem discrete and, at the same time, relevant to the same cosmic space. 'Origin' series sculpts the rudimentary form of living things. From there, they undergo numerous regenerations, demonstrated by the reincarnation of life after death and the cellular reorganization of organisms. Awakening and the entry of new ideas also embody the process of rebirth. Jiang Miao invites the audience to consciously complete the ultimate form for the works from this series. '瑞' or 'Auspice' carries the meanings of blessing, mythical animals, and the gemstones used for ancient religious practice in Chinese culture.

Exploring "Lustre of Hope"

Nurturing

The birth of Jiang Miao's baby led the artist to experience the spiritual essence of the heart and mind. Similar to the Buddhist dharma practice of 'looking at the mountain is not a mountain, looking at the water is not water'. That is, understanding that nothing exists on its own; all things exist in relation to all others and that all things are changing and transient.

Jiang wanted to paint the landscape she envisioned where the state of her mind was in the present; a landscape of great tranquillity, invisible water, with great energy and unfathomable depths. The invisible water implies the multiform water in this world. As the invisible water manifests, a halo of light appears representing spiritual light and signs of life.

Jiang chose meteorite and gemstones as the subjects of the "water.sphere" series. Meteorites radiates energy from distant space and gemstones are fragments of dense energy condensed after hundreds of millions of years on earth. They symbolize time manifested in earth's long history reflecting on the short life span of human beings.

Growing

This stage is the stage where life dances and spreads with power. It is the rebirth of all things after they have been destroyed and moving along the trajectory of a whirlpool. The artist believes that the whirlpool is a symbol of the soul. To survive is to absorb energy.

Life needs energy, and Jiang believes that the energy comes from the sun. Artworks in this series are composed of more than twenty abstract paintings superimposed on the invisible bottom layer. These paintings come from Jiang's feeling of sunlight, air, temperature, wind and elements that day to represent the color tone in the moment. She repeates this process the next day layering another color tone. By using a knife to carve and create dots, lines and planes, the final hue is formed, where the artist sees the colors unearthed. In this process, Jiang discards and sheds what she has learned in the past to present the will of the cosmos. Quoting the artist as she reveals the colors on the canvas: "It is telling me what it wants, what it has experienced."

Enlightening

A record of the stage where heaven and earth represent energetic colors. The circle is also the disc of the system, with a frame, which resembles the human eye and erected as the eye of "God" referring to the truth of life and the universe. True art requires an inner energy.

The circle inside the rhombus of ‘Heavenly Eyes’ represents the magnetic field, the whirl (the symbol of the soul), and the substance of point, line, and plane. It is also the reconfiguration of the trinity of soul, the cycle of reincarnation that all comes out of the Taiji (太極), and the colors hidden underneath depict the releasing of energy from light. The work is placed horizontally like the human eye and vertically to represent the eye of "God" to express a state of enlightenment and connections between the world and the beyond. These works are meant to serve as replenishment energy allowing the viewer a different perspective within a meditative moment.

Oriental

‘瑞’ or ‘Auspice’ carries the meanings of blessing, mythical animals and the gemstones used for ancient religious practice in Chinese culture. Artworks from this series chained various symbols in oriental culture. For instance, the spiritual beast in the paintings delineates the totem of dragon in oriental wisdom.

Jiang Miao: Lustre of Hope
Sept 3 - Oct 22, 2022

HONG KONG / H Queen’s

8F / H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2523 8001
Fax: +852 2523 8005
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Closed: Sunday, Monday
More Info

ABOUT

JIANG MIAO

JIANG MIAO

Born in Jilin, China, Jiang Miao specialises in contemporary Woodblock Printmaking. She graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing with a bachelor's and master's degree in Printmaking. Drawing from her background in fine arts painting and academic exploration of various genres, such as realism and woodprint, Jiang Miao has developed her distinct artistic style through years of experimenting with different creative techniques.

Her artistic process involves meticulously constructing each piece with over twenty layers of creation. Guided by the sunlight, breeze and atmosphere of the moment, Jiang Miao employs carving knives to express her deep emotions and infuse each layer with colour, resulting in a unique journey through time. Jiang Miao's inventive approach delves into a vivid and profound three-dimensional universe, unlike traditional two-dimensional expressions.

Influenced by her study of Eastern philosophy and ascetic practices, she engages in self-reflection and self-enlightenment to uncover the cosmic intricacies within her inner world and explore the mysteries of life and the cycles of earth and nature. Whether through art or not, whether depicting landscapes or not, Jiang Miao's works embrace the boundless dimensions of time, space, and their ethereal essence. Through her unique language and symbolism, the audience can perceive the vibrant energy of life resonating from her creations.

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