New York

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Lin Hongjun's Solo Exhibition

Curator：

Dr. John Francis Larner

Academic Assistance：

New York Contemporary Art Center

New York | MC gallery

Exhibition Period：2024.3.10-4.10

Venue：West 52nd Street, New York, NY 1004

Opening Event

March 10th at 5:00 PM

The exhibition catalog of Chinese artist Lin Hongjun's first solo exhibition in the United States, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", has been published. On this occasion, I would like to share with you the article "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" written by writer, curator, and art critic John Francis Larner in the catalog. The following is the full content of this article.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

I first met Vivian a few years ago when I attended an exhibition that she shared with another artist friend. I was immediately captivated by her work. She is an artist with many interests, and one whose style and interests continue to evolve. She is not content to do the “same old, same old.” She paints, she brushes calligraphy, she works with paper maché, and she probably also is working with other materials that she has not yet exhibited as she continues to search and explore, bringing her artistic vision to fruition.

Having visited her studio, I discovered it is also her home, which sums up nicely her life: “Her studio is her home; her home is her studio.” Different parts of her home are given over to different forms of her creations. She also has a sizeable library of books and reference materials and supplies, blank canvases, brushes, pens, inks and paints – all ready to hand – so that when she works, she has all that she needs. Appropriately for a visual artist, her home/studio also has areas of bright light filled with sunshine, and others of shade and even darkness, both fitting the particular mood of herself and her creations. Like all artists, she aims to transform the irreal into reality – the ideas, shapes, and colors of her unique imagination into the materials on which she works. Like all artists, she is a shape-shifter, not in terms of her physical existence, but in terms of her innermost thoughts – the shifting of shapes from the non-dimensional world of her imagination into the two- or sometimes three-dimensional shapes of her art.

Once you enter into her worlds, it is difficult to escape from them, even if you leave the gallery or the museum. To borrow and paraphrase a line from a poem by e.e. cummings:

“i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it…”

I would change this to:

i carry your art with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it …

With respect to the title of the exhibition and the title piece, a good introduction is this quotation from the EncyclopediaBritannica: "The Unbearable lightness of Being, novel by Milan Kundera, first published in 1984 in English and French translations. The tale begins on a philosophical note, discussing Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of eternal return (or eternal recurrence). If, as Nietzsche believed, everything in life happens an infinite number of times, causing the “heaviest of burdens,” then a personal life in which everything happens only once loses its “weight” and significance—hence the “the unbearable lightness of being.” Within this discussion, however, the narrator also mentions the opposing theory of Parmenides, who held that light (represented by warmth and fineness) is positive, while the opposite, heaviness, is negative. This conflicting set of views raises the question of which is correct, and against this backdrop the story begins.

This same tension about what constitutes reality is at the core of Vivian Lin’s art. On the one hand, the artist’s work is a unique product, the result of a unique, even if lengthy, process. It is therefore a “one-off” event. On the other hand, the artist’s constant research into and reinvention of her artistic expression represents the infinite process of interpreting, reorganizing, and eventually communicating to the world her vision, thereby uniting the tension inNietzsche’s formulation of an infinitely recurring set of processes with a singular, one-time outcome. Vivian Lin’s work also explores, as have other artists, the tension between light and dark, thereby evoking the ideas mentioned in the novel that refer back to Parmenides, as indicated in the quotation. Lin’s expression of these ideas through her piece, which depicts a centaur of indeterminate gender – neither male nor female, but containing elements of both – represents a timeless, therefore eternal, concept of humanity’s integration with Nature stretching back through millennia, human and beast in a single body. And in this exhibition, in this singular work. What’s more, the lightness can be represented by the lack of coloration for this piece, being entirely white, while the darkness can be read into the enigmatic expression of the face. Are the eyes open or closed? Is the face (and body) at rest or in deep anguish which renders the creature immobile? Is this a creature at peace with itself, or is it at war with its dual nature, both human and beast? All of these questions raised by a reading of Kundera’s novel can be read into Lin’s exhibition, and the novel’s title therefore represents an excellent touchstone in the works of Vivian Lin.

Curator：Dr. John Francis Larner

December 2023 in Paris, France.

The "Lin Lin" series expresses pure personal emotions through abstract semantics, with a creative mode that transcends descriptive representation. Simultaneously, in terms of artistic language style, the abstraction's wit and randomness achieve significant expansion. Lin Hongjun reconstructs spatial relationships through painting, employing analytical techniques and utilizing sensitive colors to convey personal feelings and explore the boundaries of concepts in each frame. Each scene presents a snapshot of a specific time point in the past, set against the backdrop of the unique era of the artist's parents. The concept of time in this context diverges from the passing of time in the real world, suspending real-time and introducing the notion of parallel space. It is a departure from the regular flow of time, perhaps an escape from the rules of time passing!

What the artist and her works seek to convey is the helplessness and inevitability of human existence in the passage of time. The relationship between "time-space" is eternally intertwined with the artist's connection to "art-life."

To fully comprehend the "Lin Lin" series, one needs to view it within a specific context, atmosphere, and state of mind. The "three realms" embody a multiplicity of meanings.

The "Laws of the Jungle" series employs a unique visual language with contemporary flair, attempting to capture, from a sharply insightful perspective, the underlying facets of societal reality—floating, expanding, redundant, panicky, evasive, concealed, and obscure. Using a satirical approach, the series creates a vibrant array of colors on the canvas, akin to needles piercing through the facade of this prosperous world.

How does an artist with neurosensitivity inadvertently evoke an emotional resonance within you?In the exhibition "The Weight Life Cannot Bear," you may find the answers you seek.

Vivian Lin, with her unique contemporary visual language, continuously explores a "possible" stream of consciousness semantic schema. She showcases her deconstruction, reconstruction, and recreation of visual time and space, rediscovering and redefining visual values. With an open-minded approach and unconstrained creations, she awaits uncertain answers.

This exhibition brings together over 60 pieces of artwork, employing a diverse range of media, including painting, video, and installation sculpture. If you yearn for a profound appreciation of this imaginative and creative artist, do not miss this fascinating exhibition full of exploration and imagination. The exhibition will run until January 10, 2024.

About Artist

Lin Hongjun

Artist

Currently living and working in Tokyo

Principal Solo Exhibition

2023The Unbearable Lightness of Being Solo Exhibition,Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan

2022Large-scale Contemporary Ink Wash Solo Exhibition, Infinite West Lake Art Museum

2022Lin·Meta Narratives Solo Exhibition, Yu Ting Art Museum

2021Leisurely Afternoons of Spring' Solo Exhibition, Qixia Art Mansion

2021Desires Unveiled: Exhibition of Works by Lin Hongjun and Marianne Wilson

2020Hu Shourong & Vivian Lin Dual Exhibition

2018The Spirit in Ink Painting Exhibition , London

2012Solo Exhibition BROUWERS GALLERY, Amsterdam

Principal Group Exhibition

2018Nanpū Ink Painting Association and Kyoto International Urban Exchange Exhibition

2019ArtLinkArt: China-Europe International Youth Artists Exchange Exhibition

2019Nitchū Rijoi Writers and Artists Exhibition, Kyoto, Japan

2019The Urban Narratives of Contemporary Chinese Art: 1995-2019, Shanghai, China

2019"Fervent", BIG SPACE X CHINO GALLERY, Shanghai, China

2019“Paper temperament 4” The Ranch Gallery, New York, America

Principal Curated Exhibition

2022Kyoto International Ink Painting and Calligraphy Exchange Exhibition,50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Normalization of Japan-China Diplomatic Relations

2019URBAN MYTHS Art Exchange Exhibition, London, UK

2019Japan-China Youth Writers and Artists Exhibition, Kyoto, Japan

2018The Continuation and Connection: Works Exhibition by Professor Wu Shanming, Professor Hu Shourong, and Their Studio Students

2018NEW DIMENSION Berlin Art Collective Exhibition，Berlin， German

2018Japan Nanpū Ink Painting Association and Kyoto International Urban Exchange Exhibition

2017Nomination Exhibition of Zhonghe Yazheng's Painting Works at Zhejiang University Art Museum

2014San Tai He Chinese Painting and 'Jianci Vision' Longquan Celadon Art Exhibition

About Curator

John Francis Larner

Born on August 10, 1951, in New York City.

In 1973, obtained a Bachelor's degree in English.

In 1978, earned a Master's degree in English.

From 1978 to 1980, pursued a Ph.D. in Literature at Carnegie Mellon University.

In 1984, published the novel 'Wang Tangyi.'

From 1988 onwards, involved in curating the Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival.

Continuously participated in curating the documenta exhibitions for the tenth and eleventh editions in Kassel.

Please visit the exhibition hall for more artwork

Opening Hour

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: 6 pm - 9 pm

Thursday: 11 am - 5 pm

Friday: 6 pm - 9 pm

Saturday: 11 am - 5 pm

Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm

地址 /Address

West 52nd Street, New York, NY 1004