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Floating along on a fisherman’s dream
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TWO exhibitions are creating somewhat of a stir in Hangzhou’s art scene. One features the paintings of fishermen from Zhoushan and the other a series of thought-provoking videos.
Fishermen in Zhejiang Province have a long history of painting the gods to pray for peace, but at some point during the 1980s they started focusing on the lives of people in their community.
With little or no education in art, these trailblazers painted boldly, adventurously and without restraint. Their paintings are known for bright colors and a simplicity that gives them power.
Local cultural authorities eventually took notice and started promoting the artists and their paintings. By the late 1980s, the city had established art classes targeting fishermen, who were encouraged to continue creating art pieces using their imaginations.
From next Tuesday to July 22, more than 40 paintings by fishermen from Zhoushan will be displayed at Zhejiang Art Museum.
“We have deep affection for drawing things that we are familiar with, like netting and fishing,” says Cai Shicheng, one of the artists. “Others cannot copy us.”
To some the themes, the sea and fishermen, may seem narrow, but their paintings prove the style and content vary remarkably from one artist to another.
For example, Hu Zhanglan’s “Collecting Clams” depicts women helping fishermen unload clams from boats. A collage has been used to give detail to the women’s clothing and clams. The waves, flags and postures are exaggerated and abstract.
Zhu Songxiang’s “Huge Net” silhouettes fishermen and highlights fish, crab and squid in yellow, pink, red and. The fishing net occupies 80 percent of the painting and all the sea creatures are bigger than the people on the boat.
Critics say the folk artists use cavalier perspective to draw objects that are at different heights or distances.
Xu Feng, deputy director of the Zhoushan Culture Center, says these painters do not copy from life.
“They draw freely as long as the painting tells the story they want to tell,” Xu says.
Video art has existed since the late 1960s but remains novel to many Hangzhou residents since exhibitions featuring the genre are rare in the city. The “Secret Seeker” exhibition features video art works that allow viewers to ponder life and the universe.
Artist Wu Ding’s “God is Lost in Thought” records two searchlights casting light on each other. The video at first appears like a static-frame photo, but over time viewers will notice how dust moves slowly in the harsh light. Wu says the dust is the “spirit of the universe.”
Artist Li Tanjie re-illustrates some of Hangzhou’s history with her video “Two Moons, Two Stones.” She instructs a model to act as people from centuries ago at sites where Hangzhou legends took place. For example, the model pretends to swim in a place where there was once a lake and she looks into the sky in a spot once known as the best place for moon gazing.
Artist Bai Qingwen’s “After Leaving” records the story of a couple who get along and then separate. But the video is not a documentary or film, rather, it is a combination of poetry, installation and performance art.
• Fishermen Paintings
Date: July 14-22, 9am-4:30pm (closed on Monday)
Address: Zhejiang Art Museum, 138 Nanshan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8707-8700
Admission: Free
• Secret Seeker
Date: Through July 27, 12pm-5pm on weekdays; 10:30am-5pm on weekends (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)
Address: Inna’s Contemporary Art Space, 138 Liuhe Rd
Tel: (0571) 8720-3522
Admission: Free
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