Song Ling
Artist
Among the members of ‘Chi She’, Song Ling left for Australia in 1988 after he graduated from the China National Academy of Fine Art in 1984.
When I first met Song Ling in his studio in Melbourne, he was very friendly and did not even look a bit to his age. Born in 1961, Song Ling was trained in traditional Chinese painting technique and in the mid 1980s, he and his few artists started a group called ‘Chi She’ (Pond Association) where he furthered his art studies in Hang Zhou. Initially the intention of this group was just a loose grouping where a few friends can have regular gathering to discuss art. However no one would have predicted that this group has become one of the most influential groupings in modern Chinese art known as the 85 New Wave.
The 85 New Wave movement was one of the most significant eras in the modern art history of China. This was however a period where young emerging artists started to look deeply into and openly questioned society issues mainly through work or arts. In just under two years, between 1985 and 1986, 79 self-organised art groups including more than 2,250 young artists around China held a total of 149 exhibitions. The movement continued to develop towards a more provocative and conceptual direction until 1989 when it reached its peak during the time of Chinese Avant-garde exhibition.
Among the members of ‘Chi She’, Song Ling left for Australia in 1988 after he graduated from the China National Academy of Fine Art in 1984. Most of his art exhibitions then were mainly organised outside of China until in 2009, Linda Gallery of Beijing organised a show for him entitled Coming Home. It was not until these last three years that Song Ling started to participate aggressively in China. Some may claim that the artist is taking advantage of the economic boom in China but it is way beyond this reason: that Song Ling’s works are now accepted and appreciated.
Many of his artist friends who remained in China down are now famous. Song Ling’s contribution is still considered important as he provides yet another perspective through his work of a Chinese artist in the period where he left the country but still very much concern about to the well-being of the place where he was born and educated. Indirectly it is the perfect jigsaw to complete as the 85 New Wave movement where ideas and concepts are not only generated from the same root but bearing different fruits.
When Song Ling first started in Australia, his initial adaptation of his paintings were about the relationship between modern printing process and digital technology. Using hand-painted dots as the basis of his work, whilst playing with contrasting surface effects and texture, he was reinventing the presentation of patterns found in Chinese embroidery and folk art. Later in his series of work such as ‘Aesthetics of Violence’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Face’, Song Ling started to question the way of life through his paintings. Song Ling was then said to have greatly influenced by surrealism and his works carried some slight shadow of Picasso.
The artist was recently selected to represent China in the Venice Biennale and the selected painting was an impressive 10-piece combined-work entitled ‘Copy of Emperor Huizong’s The Pond’s Edge in Late Autumn’.
There was a time where the artist concentrated on strong and sometimes extreme facial expressions depiction. Behind a beautiful face, it carries many both the smile of happiness and the scar of sorrow. It could have been the artist re-evaluating his choice of migrating to Australia and realising the fact that people here do have their own issues and problems.
The artist was recently selected to represent China in the Venice Biennale and the selected painting was an impressive 10-piece combined-work entitled ‘copy of Emperor Huizong’s The Pond’s Edge in Late Autumn’. This black and white piece is the perfect example of why his work is important to his peers in China. It Showcases his traditional Chinese painting technique with significant strokes of contemporary style.
Recently the artist is revisiting his early days in the ‘communism’ society but in a bigger context. Song Ling has always carried a consistent message of trying to ‘understand’ or ‘escape’ from a constraint and suffocating environment in his work.
The 85 New Wave movement was one of the most significant eras in the modern art history of China. This was however a period where young emerging artists started to look deeply into and openly questioned society issues mainly through work or arts. In just under two years, between 1985 and 1986, 79 self-organised art groups including more than 2,250 young artists around China held a total of 149 exhibitions. The movement continued to develop towards a more provocative and conceptual direction until 1989 when it reached its peak during the time of Chinese Avant-garde exhibition.
Among the members of ‘Chi She’, Song Ling left for Australia in 1988 after he graduated from the China National Academy of Fine Art in 1984. Most of his art exhibitions then were mainly organised outside of China until in 2009, Linda Gallery of Beijing organised a show for him entitled Coming Home. It was not until these last three years that Song Ling started to participate aggressively in China. Some may claim that the artist is taking advantage of the economic boom in China but it is way beyond this reason: that Song Ling’s works are now accepted and appreciated.
Many of his artist friends who remained in China down are now famous. Song Ling’s contribution is still considered important as he provides yet another perspective through his work of a Chinese artist in the period where he left the country but still very much concern about to the well-being of the place where he was born and educated. Indirectly it is the perfect jigsaw to complete as the 85 New Wave movement where ideas and concepts are not only generated from the same root but bearing different fruits.
When Song Ling first started in Australia, his initial adaptation of his paintings were about the relationship between modern printing process and digital technology. Using hand-painted dots as the basis of his work, whilst playing with contrasting surface effects and texture, he was reinventing the presentation of patterns found in Chinese embroidery and folk art. Later in his series of work such as ‘Aesthetics of Violence’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Face’, Song Ling started to question the way of life through his paintings. Song Ling was then said to have greatly influenced by surrealism and his works carried some slight shadow of Picasso.
There was a time where the artist concentrated on strong and sometimes extreme facial expressions depiction. Behind a beautiful face, it carries many both the smile of happiness and the scar of sorrow. It could have been the artist re-evaluating his choice of migrating to Australia and realising the fact that people here do have their own issues and problems.
The artist was recently selected to represent China in the Venice Biennale and the selected painting was an impressive 10-piece combined-work entitled ‘copy of Emperor Huizong’s The Pond’s Edge in Late Autumn’. This black and white piece is the perfect example of why his work is important to his peers in China. It Showcases his traditional Chinese painting technique with significant strokes of contemporary style.
Recently the artist is revisiting his early days in the ‘communism’ society but in a bigger context. Song Ling has always carried a consistent message of trying to ‘understand’ or ‘escape’ from a constraint and suffocating environment in his work.
第一次在墨尔本工作室里与宋陵见面，他有着不符实际年龄的亲切友好。生于1961年的他曾学习中国传统国画技法。上世纪80年代中期，当宋陵持续在杭州的艺术研究时，和几位艺术家创立名为“池社”的组织。最初，这个小组仅是怀揣着一些朋友定期聚在一起钻研艺术的松散目的。但没人能预想到，这个群体却成为中国现代艺术最具影响力的团体，被称为85新潮。
85新潮美术运动是中国现代艺术史上最重要的一个年代。这是年轻的新兴艺术家们主要透过创作或艺术，开始深入研究并公开质疑社会问题的时期，在1985年到1986年两年间，有79个自组织的艺术团体，包括中国各地超过2250名年轻艺术家，总共举办了149场展览。直至1989年，在中国前卫艺术展览达到高峰期时，这个运动才开始朝着更具挑衅性和概念化的方向延伸。
1984年毕业于中国国家美术学院的宋陵，在1988年也前往澳大利亚，当时他还是池社的成员。他的大部分艺术展览都在中国以外，直到2009年，北京的Linda Gallery为他举办了一场名为“回家”的展览。而在近3年来，宋陵才开始积极参与中国的艺术活动。可能有人会认为：这位艺术家是得益于中国爆炸性的经济增长，但这却偏离了宋陵被接受和欣赏的原因。他许多留在原处的艺术家朋友目前在中国非常出名，但宋陵的贡献仍是一样重要，作为一个离开生长土地的华裔艺术家，他透过作品提供了另一个不同视角，仍对于成长和教育的土地聚集关心。而间接地，这是一个完美的拼图，完成了85新潮运动，其中思想和概念是由相同的根源产生，但却结出迥异果实。
宋陵在澳大利亚开始创作时，他的最初画作是以研究现代印刷工艺和数字技术之间关系，利用手工绘制的圆点担任作品的基础，同时运用对比鲜明的表面效果和纹理，重新设计中国刺绣和民间艺术中所呈现的图案。后来在如“暴力美学”、“美女与野兽”、“脸”等一系列作品中，他开始透过绘画质疑人生。他深受超现实主义的影响，创作中也带有些许毕加索的影子。曾经有段时间，这名艺术家专注于强烈的、偶尔显得极端的面部表情，毕竟只凭封面是很难判断一本书的内容。因此，在一张美丽面孔背后，既有幸福的微笑，也有悲切的伤痕。可能是这位艺术家重新评估了他移居澳大利亚的选择，并意识到这里的人们确实有着本身的苦衷和
问题。
最近，宋陵被选为代表中国参加威尼斯双年展，参展的是令人印象深刻的10幅联合作品：“徽宗时代的池塘晚秋图”。这幅黑白作品是他与中国同行联袂且同等重量的完美例子，展示他的传统国画技术，在当代艺术中占据关键意义。
而这位艺术家目前正在重新审视他早年在“共产主义”社会中的生活，但是以更宏观的背景。宋陵一直在作品中专注传达一致的信息，即试图从一个极具约束性和令人窒息的环境中“理解”或“逃离”。他最新的野生动物系列探索了在人工混凝土丛林中感到窒息，且为生存而战的美丽和不幸的动物们。它们为存活而战斗，同时亦巧妙地抛出了未来这个世界将会变成怎样的疑问。
1984年毕业于中国国家美术学院的宋陵，在1988年也前往澳大利亚，当时他还是池社的成员。他的大部分艺术展览都在中国以外，直到2009年，北京的Linda Gallery为他举办了一场名为“回家”的展览。而在近3年来，宋陵才开始积极参与中国的艺术活动。可能有人会认为：这位艺术家是得益于中国爆炸性的经济增长，但这却偏离了宋陵被接受和欣赏的原因。他许多留在原处的艺术家朋友目前在中国非常出名，但宋陵的贡献仍是一样重要，作为一个离开生长土地的华裔艺术家，他透过作品提供了另一个不同视角，仍对于成长和教育的土地聚集关心。而间接地，这是一个完美的拼图，完成了85新潮运动，其中思想和概念是由相同的根源产生，但却结出迥异果实。
宋陵在澳大利亚开始创作时，他的最初画作是以研究现代印刷工艺和数字技术之间关系，利用手工绘制的圆点担任作品的基础，同时运用对比鲜明的表面效果和纹理，重新设计中国刺绣和民间艺术中所呈现的图案。后来在如“暴力美学”、“美女与野兽”、“脸”等一系列作品中，他开始透过绘画质疑人生。他深受超现实主义的影响，创作中也带有些许毕加索的影子。曾经有段时间，这名艺术家专注于强烈的、偶尔显得极端的面部表情，毕竟只凭封面是很难判断一本书的内容。因此，在一张美丽面孔背后，既有幸福的微笑，也有悲切的伤痕。可能是这位艺术家重新评估了他移居澳大利亚的选择，并意识到这里的人们确实有着本身的苦衷和
问题。
最近，宋陵被选为代表中国参加威尼斯双年展，参展的是令人印象深刻的10幅联合作品：“徽宗时代的池塘晚秋图”。这幅黑白作品是他与中国同行联袂且同等重量的完美例子，展示他的传统国画技术，在当代艺术中占据关键意义。
而这位艺术家目前正在重新审视他早年在“共产主义”社会中的生活，但是以更宏观的背景。宋陵一直在作品中专注传达一致的信息，即试图从一个极具约束性和令人窒息的环境中“理解”或“逃离”。他最新的野生动物系列探索了在人工混凝土丛林中感到窒息，且为生存而战的美丽和不幸的动物们。它们为存活而战斗，同时亦巧妙地抛出了未来这个世界将会变成怎样的疑问。
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