LOY Contemporary Art Gallery has launched its latest exhibition, “Future is a Journey to the Past”.
This is the first solo show by Chinese multidisciplinary artist Wang Xiaolin. The exhibition puts his signature overglaze technique front and centre, with a collection of works that showcase his mastery of porcelain glazing. Items range from smaller square plates to pots, cups and vases, with a number of larger pieces.
Unlike paint on canvas, glazing porcelain is notoriously unforgiving — covering up mistakes is almost never an option, and even minor missteps can cause bubbling, irregular textures or inconsistent tones. In the worst case, the porcelain can even crack; this is an especial risk given that each piece has to be fired and cooled multiple times. Yet Wang deftly manoeuvres the medium, creating pieces that appear effortless and light.
Wang’s works explore a wide range of themes, but tend to land somewhere on the nexus of humanity, technology and nature. Stylistically, he combines traditional Chinese techniques with surreal imagery.
Take, for instance, Nocturn Journeys No.8 (2022). Men grasping little red squares — one is left to guess whether they’re phones or books — some stare blankly ahead, others at the squares, and yet others at a massive textured structure in the background. The piece invites viewers to consider the chokehold those squares have on the men, and how despite the varying directions of their gazes, they ultimately all look the same.
That background structure, a common motif in Wang’s oeuvre, is a gongshi, also known as a scholar’s rock. Wang takes inspiration from Suzhou’s famed scholars’ gardens, where these rocks are often seen. Such elements of classic Chinese design often find their way into Wang’s works, intertwining with inspiration from Taoist philosophy and Western psychology.
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The biggest piece in “Future is a Journey to the Past” is Becoming a Sage (2019), which depicts a man on fire as he seemingly levitates off the ground. Inspired by Confucius’ notion of continual self-cultivation, the 80cm by 170cm piece is a stunning display of Wang’s glazework, marked by clean lines and subtle shading.
Further showcasing the artist’s technical ability are the smaller pieces, in particular The Shelved Space (2019), which features orange squares layered atop one another. A stunning ombre is formed through the meticulous layering of glaze, creating an almost three-dimensional effect that is elevated by the choice of tangerine hues.
“Future is a Journey to the Past” runs from now till Aug 15.
