ASIAN ART IN LONDON 2013

Asian Art in London 2013
The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
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6 November 2013
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12:30-1pm Gallery Talk:
Form and Function: A Square Huanghuali Table
by Dr. Yupin Chung and Thomas Jacobi
As part of the Ming Furniture series, this talk will explore the exceptional craftmanship in the golden age of classic Chinese furniture.

7000 Imprints 印記 7000 Abdrucke

 Inspired by Joseph Beuys’ work of land art ‘’7000 Oak Trees’’ (1982), Chinese artist Gao Yingjin is currently developing a project of tree-rubbing ‘’7000 Imprints’’ (2012), in regard to Beuys' ecological aesthetic of “Social Sculpture”, which suggests art has the potential to transform the life of individual observers, as well as the social condition of wider culture.

   The project also refers to Chinese mythology and the belief that everything in the universe has its soul. In this work, the soul of the object is visualized through its body and the method of ink-rubbing shows the most intricate details of the object. When one makes an imprint of one’s own hand, the transfer of ink allows a representation of texture to be passed from object to paper. But this is more than a simple duplication of texts or patterns. Creating the ink-rubbing is a way of communicating with objects as a spiritual act.

   ‘Ink-rubbing’, also called frottage, was an art technique in ancient China. It was often used to make copies of stone inscriptions kept by famous literati with the aim of promoting reading and the art of calligraphy. 7000 Imprints is an interpretation of this practice and attempts to document the traces left on material objects such as oak bark and basalt stone by the actions of time and nature revealing the details in their surface texture.

   7000 Imprints is an approach through which contemporary artists observe trees, comprehend their essence and therefore obtain a better understanding of nature. On a certain level, this work follows in the footsteps of Beuys’ concept of “Social Sculpture”. It creates a new form by bringing artistic language, thoughts and different cultures together. It is also a development of the idea of “City Forestation” drawing people’s attention to trees and nature, and allowing them to critically examine human-environment relations. 

   Gao Yingjin and his team with German artist Thomas Jacobi will exhibit their works at the Wandelhalle in Bad Wildungen from 9th September to 30th September 2012. Visitors and passers-by have the opportunity to become part of this “endless conversation across thousands of years and miles’’.
                                                                                                                                                                Yupin Chung, Midsummer 2012

                                                                                                                                                               
Seminar | Sunday 9 September 2012, 3 – 4.30 pm
Venue | Wandelhalle, Georg-Viktor-Quelle 3, 34537 Bad Wildungen, Germany

The Inner Pattern of Ink:
What role ink rubbing plays in forming peoples' life in art?


▪ The Spiritual Relationship between “7000 Imprints’’ and “7000 Oak Trees’’
Speaker: Professor Gao Yingjin (Artist and Director of Visual Art Research Centre,
Nankai University, Tianjin, China)

▪ Tracing the Past: The Ink Rubbing in Chinese Art
Speaker: Dr Yupin Chung (Curator of Chinese Art, Glasgow, UK)

▪ Language of Texture
Speaker: Thomas Jacobi (Artist, Germany)
  




   Inspiriert durch Joseph Beuys’ Land Art Werk “7000 Eichen” (1982) entwickelt der chinesische Künstler Gao Yingjin derzeit ein Projekt mit Baumfrottagen, “7000 Abdrucke” (2012) in Bezug zu Beuys’ ökologischer Ästhetik der “Sozialen Skulptur”, die das Potential der Kunst zur Transformation des Lebens des Einzelnen als auch der sozialen Bedingungen in der Kultur der Umgebung thematisiert.

   Das Projekt der “7000 Abdrucke” bezieht sich ebenso auf die Vorstellung in der chinesischen Mythologie, daß alles im Universum eine Seele hat. In dieser Arbeit wird die Seele des Baumes durch dessen Körperlichkeit sichtbar gemacht; durch die Methode der Tuschefrottage zeigen sich seine komplexesten Details. Ein Abdruck von eigener Hand erlaubt die naturgetreue Übertragung der Textur vom Objekt auf das Papier mithilfe der Tusche. Dieser Vorgang ist mehr als nur die einfache Vervielfältigung eines Textes oder Musters, es ist vielmehr eine Art und Weise mit dem Objekt in einem geistigen Akt zu kommunizieren.

   Die Tuscheabreibung oder auch Frottage wurde im Alten China als künstlerische Technik betrachtet. Oft wurden so Kopien von Steininschriften berühmter Literaten mit der Absicht hergestellt, das Lesen und die Kunst der Kalligraphie zu fördern. “7000 Abdrucke” ist eine Deutung dieser Praxis und versucht die Spuren, die sich als Textur der Oberfläche der Objekte, wie Eichenrinde oder Basalt und sich durch Veränderungen der Zeit und Natureinflüssen offenbaren, zu dokumentieren.

   ‘7000 Abdrucke” ist eine Annäherungsweise zeitgenössischer Künstler, Bäume zu beobachten, der Versuch, ihre Wesenheit zu erfassen und demzufolge ein besseres Verstehen von Natur zu erlangen. Zu einem gewissen Grad folgt diese Arbeit Beuys’ Konzept der “Sozialen Skulptur”; es schöpft eine neue Form durch das Verschmelzen von künstlerischer Sprache, Gedanken und verschiedener Kulturen. Das Projekt will auch die Idee der Stadtaufforstung mitentwickeln, indem die Aufmerksamkeit der Menschen für Bäume und Natur gewonnen werden soll und so eine kritische Untersuchung der Beziehung zwischen Mensch und Umgebung erlaubt.

   Gao Yingjin und sein Team werden zusammen mit dem deutschen Künstler Thomas Jacobi ihre Arbeiten in der Wandelhalle in Bad Wildungen vom 9.September bis 30.September 2012 ausstellen. BesucherInnen und PassantInnen sind herzlich eingeladen, ein Teil dieser “unendlichen Konversation über tausende von Jahren und Meilen” zu sein.

Seminar | Sonntag 9.September 2012, 15 – 16.30 Uhr
Ort | Wandelhalle, Georg-Viktor-Quelle 3, 34537 Bad Wildungen, Deutschland

Das Innere Muster der Tusche:
Welche Rolle spielt die Tuscheabreibung in der Kunst und in der Wahrnehmung des Betrachters?

Die geistige Beziehung zwischen “7000 Abdrucke” und “7000 Eichen”
Vortragender: Professor Gao Yingjin (Künstler und Direktor des Visual Art Research Centre,
Nankai Universität, Tianjin, China)

Spuren der Vergangenheit: Die Tuscheabreibung in der chinesischen Kunst
Vortragende: Dr. Yupin Chung (Kuratorin für Chinesische Kunst, Glasgow, UK)

Die Sprache der Textur
Vortragender: Thomas Jacobi (Künstler, Deutschland)

"MAPPING CHINA: LIJIANG"



Ink rubbing at the Old Town of Lijiang, China, December 2011

"MAPPING CHINA: HANGZHOU"



Ink rubbing from a Qing-Dynasty tomb near Hangzhou, China, November 2011

"MAPPING CHINA: TIANJIN"


Ink rubbings at various sites in and around
Tianjin, China, November 2011





"MOTES OF LIVING LIGHT"

Short film by
Thomas Jacobi (Direction and Images)

with

Dave Greygoose (Poem & Voice)

Eddie McGuire (Music)

Yupin Chung (Translation)

Glasgow 2011


Part of the exhibition 'China through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872' at The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

ASIAN ART IN LONDON 2010


Asian Art in London 2010
The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
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10 November 2010
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10-12am Chinese Ink Rubbing Workshop by Thomas Jacobi
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12:30 - 1pm Gallery Talk: New Perspectives on Bronze Wine Vessels by Dr Yupin Chung, Curator of Chinese Art, and Thomas Jacobi, Artist. As part of Four Seasons’ Drinks in China series, the talk explores the motif, ornamentation and rubbings of inscriptions on bronze vessels from the Burrell Collection.

'CLEANSING THE HOUSE WITH INK' 以墨洗宅 DVD


"... Houses give us shelter; they are even described as our third skin. They become mute witnesses to the domestic life of their inhabitants and shape communal identity. A house is the synonym for 'home' and family history.
My performance 'Cleansing the House with Ink" at Mei Ting (literally, Blossom Dwelling) was an attempt to pay my last respects to the abandoned house before it was demolished."
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The DVD is a collaboration with Yupin Chung and David Greygoose to create a spoken word performance with Guqin music by Lin Fa.
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Thomas Jacobi / Performance
David Greygoose / Poem & Voice
Yupin Chung / Translation & Voice
Eleanor Rees / Voice
Lin Fa / Guqin Music
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Fuzhou, Liverpool, Taipei and Glasgow, 2005-2010 / Duration: 9.08 mins
For DVD order please contact thomasems03@yahoo.co.uk

'CLEANSING THE HOUSE WITH INK' 以墨洗宅


Ricefield Arts and Cultural Centre, Glasgow
3rd Floor, 34 Albion Street, G1 1LH
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Sunday 25 April 2010, 7-9pm
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A multimedia collaboration based on performance and works on paper by Thomas Jacobi,
poem by David Greygoose with parallel Chinese translation by Dr Yupin Chung, Curator of Chinese Art, The Burrell Collection,
music by Lin Fa and voice by award winning poet Eleanor Rees.
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Poetry readings and live improvisation by Harmony Chinese Music Ensemble's award winning composer Eddie McGuire,
singer Liu Fong and musician Eng Hooi Ling.
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The performances include:

'the shadow of the hand writes before the thought'
'Brushstrokes of Breath'
'Andrastes Hair '
'Eliza and the Bear'

China Academy of Arts (CAA), Hangzhou
April - June 2009
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"Lacquer"
Ink Rubbing, 23 x 25 cm, 2009
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'the shadow of the hand writes before the thought' 手影順思行 / 'CLEANSING THE HOUSE WITH INK' 以墨洗宅



A collaboration based on artworks by Thomas Jacobi
Poems by Dave Ward/Greygoose
Translations by Yupin Chung
Voice by Eleanor Rees
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88 Wood Street, Liverpool, UK
Friday 13 March 2009, 5 - 6 pm

"FROM A DISTANCE - AT CLOSE RANGE II"


Ink Rubbings and Pigment Works on Paper
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Ricefield Arts and Cultural Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
14 February - 8 March 2009 and
University of Glasgow Interfaith Chapel,
16 February - 6 March 2009
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Private View and Performance at Ricefield Saturday 14 February 2 - 5 pm
41 West Graham Street, Glasgow G4 9LJ, UK
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" 'Mo' Work To Do", Artist Talk at the Huntarian Art Gallery Lecture Theatre, Friday 6 March 11 am
Ink Rubbing Workshop at Ricefield Saturday 7 March 2 pm

"KISSES FOR SHANGHAI"


Public Performance, 20.09.2008
View Two Gallery, Liverpool, UK.
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As part of my exhibition "From a Distance – At Close Range" visitors were invited to 'print' their kisses onto a length of paper attached to the wall of the first floor gallery.
"Kisses for Shanghai" is the Liverpool peoples' contribution to their twin city in China. The paper will be mounted on scroll later and in 2010, during the Shanghai World Expo, the second part of the performance will take place by inviting people of Shanghai to kiss a paper for Liverpool.
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[Photos]

"FROM A DISTANCE - AT CLOSE RANGE"


Recent Ink Rubbings and Pigment Works on Paper, China 2005 - 2008
View Two Gallery, Liverpool, UK
18 September - 18 October
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Opening Wednesday 17 September 6 - 9 pm
Performance "KISSES FOR SHANGHAI" Saturday 20 September 2 pm
"CHINA TALKS" Saturday 27 September 1 - 5 pm
"SHANGHAI SOUNDS & DINNER" Saturday 27 September 6 pm 'til late
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left: "German Garden #1",
pigment on paper, 50 x 100 cm, scroll size: 70 x 210 cm, 12.2007, Fuzhou, China
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Eschewing oil paint, Thomas Jacobi focuses his work on 'red' and white, brushing brick powder pigments freely on rice paper in strokes reminiscent of calligraphy but not recognizable as any characters in particular. In 2005 he was granted an Artist in Residence position in Fujian, China. During the months he spent investigating tradition within China, he also turned to the technique of frottage (tayin), which had long been used as a means of disseminating calligraphy engraved in stone surfaces.
In China, the scholars appreciation and collecting of ink rubbings of stone-carved calligraphies have a long history. In the West, the attempts of alchemists to discover the secret of making gold led to another understanding of science. Thomas seeks to find the appropriate way as a contemporary artist to transcribe or to transform material through the working process in the search for the essential.

"The ink rubbings document the use of objects by humans and the traces left in material. They tell the stories, record the signs and carvings of daily life, giving evidence of past and present. The pigments are made of stone, bricks or clay, any material used to construct housing. Houses give shelter to people and also record history; working with the pigments of historic buildings sets the pure substance of colour free… The material matters – in the service of concept." Thomas Jacobi

"100 = 1"


Exhibition, Fuzhou, 11.11.2007
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"Foochow Whispers #1"
Ink Rubbing from pavement, 41 x 65 cm,
Cang Shan District, Fuzhou, China
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"WATCHING THE SEA AND WAITING FOR A PAINTING TO COME"


Painting Performance, 3.11.2007
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Xiamen Beach, China viewing Kinmen Island, Taiwan
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White oil colour, sand and wind on canvas

"在那遥远的一天 巴德诶姆斯泉水 将流进厦门港湾 汤玛士到此一游"


"Eines fernen Tages wird das Wasser der Quellen von Bad Ems die Bucht von Xiamen erreichen"
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"Art & Environment" - International Art Symposium and Exhibition, Xiamen Fine Arts Museum, Xiamen, China, November 2007

"GERMAN GARDEN" - 德园 拓印 挂轴装裱 2005年12月


"German Garden Gate"
Ink Rubbing
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Ink on paper mounted on scroll,
113 x 54,3 cm/136 x 310 cm ,
December 2005, Cang Shan District, Fuzhou, China
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(See statement below)

"GERMAN GARDEN" Exhibition Statement TONGJI University Shanghai

2005年秋天,透过中德艺术家交流计划,我初次到了福州。我的福州朋友带我到他们讲述的“德园”,我被那带有欧洲风格的建筑景观所震惊。据说那里是十九世纪外国人居住以及工作的地方;包括商业特许区、行政办公楼、大使馆、学校、教堂、医院、以及花园等社会的结构,显示出城市重要发展。如今,我们只见少数的旧房舍以及残存的过往痕迹。中国城市的变迁带来一种建筑知识与传统的失落,像是一个曾经有著历史经验与记忆的地区,擦去后不留痕迹。关于我们所处社会的历史定位问题,将被特意选择的地图、照片、书籍以及博物馆展览所回应。一幅提名为“德园”的挂轴,我试图以纪录的方法来转化“人类学的现场”到我的作品中。拓印石头上的书法一直是中国的传统,今日引发出一种意识,就是为历史而历史以及它所依托的物质文化。历史是活化记忆的过程,对我而言,她塑造与追溯人类的想法、情绪、以及行为,显然是个自我在世界定位的贡献。(钟瑜平博士译)

Als mich während meines ersten Studienaufenthaltes in Fuzhou im Herbst 2005 chinesische Freunde auf das Haus "Deutscher Garten" aufmerksam machten, war ich von der europäischen Anmutung der Architektur überrascht. Im 19. Jahrhundert gab es einen Stadtviertel, in dem die Ausländer lebten und arbeiteten und Straßenzüge mit Geschäftshäusern, Verwaltungsgebäuden, Botschaften, Schulen, Kirchen, Krankenhäusern und Stadtvillen das soziale Gefüge ihrer Bewohner und die Bedeutung für die Stadt bezeugten. Bei einem Besuch vor Ort konnten wir jedoch nur noch einzelne erhaltene Häuser und Reste der Bebauung finden. Die Umwandlung großer Areale der chinesischen Städte in Hochhauskomplexe verursacht einen unschätzbaren Verlust der Kenntnisse in der Baukultur und der Traditionen. Orte, die etwas bezeugen; erfahrbare Geschichte also, werden ausradiert als habe es sie nie gegeben. Die Frage nach der geschichtlichen Identität unserer Gesellschaft wird bald nur noch an Hand ausgewählter Quellen mit Karten, Photos, Büchern und Museumsausstellungen zu beantworten sein. Mein Rollbild "Deutscher Garten" ist der Versuch, mit einer dokumentarischen Arbeitsmethode "Archäologie der Gegenwart" künstlerisch umzusetzen. Die Tuscheabreibung von Kalligraphien in Stein hat in China eine lange Tradition. Heute gilt es, das Bewußtsein für Geschichte selbst in seiner Materialität zum Thema zu machen. Geschichte ist ein lebendiger Prozess des Erinnerns, der durch die Sichtbarmachung von Spuren menschlichen Denkens, Empfindens und Handelns zu unserer Selbstpositionierung in der Welt beiträgt.

During my first stay as artist in residence in Fuzhou, autumn 2005, my Chinese friends drew my attention to a house called "German Garden". I was surprised by the European style of the architecture and was told about a district from the 19th Century in which foreigners lived and worked. The infrastructure of business premises, administration buildings, embassies, schools, churches, hospitals and suburban gardens testified to the social structure of their inhabitants and the importance to the city. Visiting the quarter, we only found a few houses and fragments of the former development still existing. The transformation of large areas of Chinese cities into tower blocks causes an immense loss of knowledge of architecture and traditions. Sites, which provide experience of perceptible history, are wiped out as if they never existed. Questions about the historical identity of our society will be soon answered only by selected sources intended for this purpose, such as maps, photos, books and museum exhibitions. My scroll entitled "German Garden" is an attempt to use the method of documenting to transform "archaeology of the presence" into a work of art. The practice of ink-rubbing taken from stone calligraphy has an old tradition in China. These days raising awareness matters -- for the sake of history itself and its material culture. History is a living process of remembrance, which shapes the traces of human thinking, emotion and acting that are perceptible as a contribution to our self-positioning in the world.

"IF ARTISTS ARE SOCIOLOGISTS, FROGS HAVE TO BECOME ARTISTS"


"A Frog from Wu Yi Shan #3"
Frog Rubbing
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Ink on paper, 40 x 65 cm, March 2007

"MO(RE) WORKS"...


...at Rosary Gallery, Fuzhou, March 2007

"Door Rubbing"

Ink Rubbing of a door panel, detail
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[Photos]

"WELCOME TO CHINA!" - "歡迎來到中國!" EXHIBITION


Rosary Gallery, Fuzhou, China, December 2005
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"Wu Yi Shan Light Red #1"
Pigment on paper mounted on scroll,
32 x 84 cm, 2005, part 1 0f 2 parts
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"Welcome to China!" presents three different projects:
- Works with pigment/ink rubbings on paper, mounted on scrolls
- Ink rubbings from 'German Garden' House, Fuzhou
- Performance 'Cleansing the House with Ink' at Mei-Ting, Fuzhou
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One day during our stay as Artists in Residents in Wu Yi Shan, Fujian, we walked around the neighborhood area to take a look and visited the site of a brick factory. Two workers at the entrance gate, busy with their hard work, smiled at us when we passed by and spontaneously said in English: "Hello - Welcome to China!"

This unexpected meeting touched our hearts deeply, because it expresses and reflects our experience very well, how to live and work in China as foreign artists for three months.

We call this the "Spirit of China" to welcome us as guests and we want to dedicate this exhibition to all the people we have met and who are our friends now.
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- Thomas Jacobi & Klaus Fresenius, Artists in Residence, Rosary Gallery, December 2005