MEDITATION IN SILVER GRAY: TSAI MENG SOLO EXHIBITION

Meditation and Sublimation in the Realm of Tradition

Curator: Li Gongming

 

I have known Tsai Meng for many years, but I had no idea that this dear friend of mine, who already has a degree in printmaking and excels in the study of contemporary photography, was also such an accomplished traditional ink painter. I was even more surprised to learn that his work engages with the meditation on and sublimation of tradition.

 

In his view, Chinese painting is "full of ambiguity, charm, and subtlety." Thus, his love of tradition springs from internal, persistent impulses and needs: I want, and I still want... Tsai Meng has been influenced by the Dong and Ju schools, the Li, Fan, Guo, Mi, Ma, and Xia schools of the Song Dynasty, the Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty, the Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty, the Four Monks, and the Four Wangs. He has also admired GongXian and Huang Binhong, examined catalogs, and absorbed cassis works.