| 2. The Chinese Code
It is all about humanity.
Modern industrial revolution and technologies have caused
irreversible damage to our relationship with the environment. The
Chinese ancient lyric pictorial writing remains as a reminder and
evidence of how much we lived hand in hand with nature in early
civilization. It also vividly pictured aspects of humanity which
have endured. We still give selfless love and have a fear of death;
We are still destroying each other and have greed and wickedness.
Human cultures appear to have great similarity. The figurative
abstract concept , the geometric structure and the Taoist mysticism
of Chinese characters are close to those of Mondrian's abstraction
and modern Western figurative abstract art. Nevertheless, the Zen
way of Chinese calligraphy, with its inward energy and harmony of
spontaneity and order, have achieved a philosophical significance
contrasting to the highly expressive and mathematical abstractions
of Western art.
It has been an emotional journey for me (being of a Chinese
origin after living in a Western country and studying Western art
for so many years.) to look back at history, examining cultures and
more importantly searching for my identity. |