The 2024 London Asian Art Week is set to begin, with Mo Hai Lou joining hands with Taiwanese artists to showcase cultural soft power

【Authored by: Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute】

This golden October, art enthusiasts around the globe once again turn their eyes to London as the renowned Asian Art in London (AAL) prepares to unveil its latest chapter of brilliance. Representing Taiwan’s art scene, the “Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute” will proudly present the special exhibition SUBLIMATION at the St. James’s Gallery, located in the global headquarters of Christie’s at the heart of London’s financial district. Showcasing the essence of contemporary Taiwanese art, this exhibition will open in late October, adding an elegant touch of Eastern charm to London’s autumn.

▲ Christie’s Headquarters in London, United Kingdom

The SUBLIMATION exhibition by Mo Hai Lou gathers works from seven highly influential contemporary Asian and Taiwanese artists: Fu Yiyao, Wang Sihan, Tai Hsiang-chou, Vincent Fang, Su Xianfa, Chu Youyi, and Ji Bozhou. Dr. Ye elaborates on the core curatorial concept: “In this exhibition, ‘sublimation’ reflects the multi-layered transformative process of artistic creation. We will witness traditional techniques reborn within a contemporary context, materials transcending their original properties to carry profound meaning, and artists refining personal experiences into universal emotions. For example, Ms. Fu Yiyao skillfully elevates traditional ink techniques, blending Japanese artistic philosophy to create a unique visual language; Wang Sihan’s leather art showcases the elevation of material into pure artistic expression. Through these works, the audience can experience firsthand how artists transform everyday objects, cultural memories, and personal emotions into an art language that resonates universally, inspiring a deep contemplation on the essence of life.” Each artist, with their distinctive perspective and technique, interprets the profound theme of “sublimation,” revealing the intrinsic charm and philosophical depth of Eastern art.

▲ Ambassador Yao Chin-hsiang (third from the right), artists, and the curator (second from the right) pose for a group photo.

▲ Curator and artist Grace Han with Chairman of Asian Art in London, Brian Haughton (center), at the opening dinner.

Emerging artist Grace Wang (founder of Grace Han) uses leather as her primary medium, pioneering two unique art forms: classic leather bags and unprecedented leather creations. This exhibition will feature her latest works, including Sky Ballet, Glistening, Glimmer, and Lake and Window. Wang’s creations delve into the beauty of shifting water and light, transforming resilient leather into fluid, water-like shapes that reveal the versatility and boundless possibilities of the material. Among these, Sky Ballet 00 is a large leather wall piece inspired by her mother’s painting Leap. This piece captures the forceful surge of a storm while maintaining the equilibrium and calm of the horizon, freezing the fierce energy into a single powerful moment. This energy is then reimagined as clouds dancing across the sky, embodying a lighter, more romantic form.

▲ Emerging leather artist Grace

Lake and Window is meticulously crafted from leather in varying tones, layers, and textures. Dominated by soft shades of light green and off-white, the different textures of leather transform under the artist’s skillful touch into a misty lakeside at dawn, glistening with light, while also embodying the interplay of solid and ethereal window reflections. The dynamic curves and static lines blend to achieve a subtle balance of beauty. As viewers change their perspective, the scene appears to shift and flow, with soft hues and lines infusing the piece with a poetic quality. Each gaze reveals new details, inviting fresh insights.

Wang Grace’s leather artworks not only display her profound understanding of the material and her refined technique but also offer a unique interpretation of the beauty of nature.

▲ Artist Grace Han’s exhibition area featuring the Lake and Window series of works.

The exhibition also presents several significant representative works by the renowned ink master Fu Yiyao, a prominent figure in the realm of Chinese art. It showcases the unique artistic style and profound cultural heritage of this “Chinese Light—Person of the Year for Promoting Chinese Culture” award recipient. As the daughter of the modern art giant Fu Baoshi, Fu Yiyao’s creations span a wide range of themes, including Japanese temple murals, folk festivals, poetic paintings inspired by the haiku of the Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa, works imitating her father’s style, and classical depictions of ukiyo-e. Among these, her works that follow in her father’s footsteps are particularly famous.

▲ Artist Fu Yiyao conducting a gallery tour.

Fu Yiyao’s rain and snow scenes are considered the essence of her artistic creation. In these works, she employs her father’s semi-automatic sprinkling technique to present layers of transparent, swirling rain threads, creating a visual effect of water splashing in the scene. In her snow scenes, Fu Yiyao innovatively abandons the traditional powder application method, instead using contrast between reserved white space and ink, combined with the sprinkling technique, to skillfully depict various forms of falling snow. The Snow Scene of Eiheiji Temple is a representative work from her recent snow scene series. This piece depicts a bird’s-eye view of the Eiheiji Temple, the head temple of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism in Japan. Using delicate and rhythmically flowing calligraphic lines, Fu outlines the architecture while cleverly employing negative space, allowing the snow scene to interact with the surrounding environment, creating an ambiance that evokes the essence of Zen.

▲Fu Yiyao, Snow Scene of Eiheiji Temple, 94×178.5 cm, 2024.

▲ Fu Yiyao, Sanjūsangen-dō, Kyoto, 93.5×177.5 cm, 2024.

▲Gallery scene featuring works by artists Fu Yiyao and Tai Hsiang-chou.

Renowned artist Dr. Tai Hsiang-chou, celebrated in Europe and the United States, gained widespread attention with his recent Bronze Vessel series, with Zhou Ji Hu featured on the cover of the September 2024 Sotheby’s New York auction catalog. This piece, along with others in the series, achieved outstanding results at the auction, once again making him a focal point in the art world. Known for his unique artistic language, Tai blends traditional Song and Yuan painting techniques with modern cosmic elements, continually creating stunning ink works. In this exhibition, he presents various series, including Neoclassical, Galaxy, Bronze Vessel, Kunlun ink and color series, and Celestial Phenomena. Among these, Observing the Galaxy I, II, III, a triptych, showcases a vast galactic landscape, combining traditional perspective techniques with modern photographic views.

▲ Tai Hsiang-chou, Celestial Phenomena – Five Tones Sequence, 37.5×25.5 cm, 2024.

▲Tai Hsiang-chou, Observing the Galaxy I, II, III, 200×119 cm, 2022.

Tai Hsiang-chou’s artistic philosophy has also garnered recognition from tech industry giants. Yahoo founder Jerry Yang has collected pieces from his Celestial Phenomena series for his private collection at Guanyuan Mountain Villa, and Tesla founder Elon Musk has also acquired one of Tai’s artworks.

Moreover, Tai’s works have entered numerous prestigious art institutions around the world, marking a historic breakthrough in the artistic achievements of his generation. Currently, 39 of his works are housed in top global museums and academic institutions, spanning over 20 major museums in the United States and Europe.

Meanwhile, the artistic practice of renowned lyricist from the Chinese-speaking world, Fang Wenshan, allows audiences to experience a harmonious resonance between tradition and modernity, music and visual art. His Punk Cat series cleverly incorporates contemporary designer toy elements into classical Western picture frames, showcasing a unique aesthetic blending the old and the new. Wenshan Flow is a highly creative work, combining elements like rusted frames, faux ice-cracked figurines, and grass-style calligraphy. This piece not only displays the artist’s free-spirited style but also evokes the passage of time and reflects the depth of Eastern culture. Another work from his Lyric Installation Art series, Just Take It as a Foreshadowing of Meeting You, features the mysterious translation of the lyrics from Jay Chou’s Blue and White Porcelain into the ancient Xixia script, painted with rust and verdigris. Fang Wenshan masterfully utilizes the symmetrical and balanced characteristics of the Xixia script to create a profound sense of history and mystery in the work.

▲ Fang Wenshan, Wenshan Flow, 65x57x6cm, 2023

▲ Fang Wenshan, Just as I Foreshadowed Meeting You, 96×65.7x2cm, 2024

Professor Su Xianfa, a prominent figure in contemporary Taiwanese art, has recently created a series of works centered around the theme of “The Four Seasons,” showcasing his deep passion for creation. One of the representative pieces from this series is Ink Lotus Heart Reflection. The work primarily uses deep blue and black tones to depict the reflection of lotus flowers in the water and the ripples on the water’s surface, evoking a dreamlike tranquility of a serene lotus pond. Su Xianfa skillfully merges the Eastern ink landscape tradition with Western abstract artistic expression. The work not only carries a strong material presence but also embodies a rich poetic quality. This visual effect allows the viewer to feel both the fluidity and lightness of ink, while also prompting deep reflections on space, time, and the cycle of life, fully showcasing Su Xianfa’s creative talent and artistic philosophy.

▲ Su Xianfa, Ink Lotus Heart Reflection, 80×116.5 cm.

▲ Su Xianfa, Solo Topping the List, 91×65 cm, 2020.

The Pine Tree Project series by Dr. Zhu Youyi, a professor at the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University, will be showcased in this exhibition. The works Xianshan Xing (Journey to Immortal Mountain), Mingzhi Shan You Hu (Knowing the Tiger Lies in the Mountain), and Ye Chun (Wild Spring) are inspired by the pine tree, beloved by scholars and literati. Zhu Youyi skillfully integrates Eastern philosophical thought with contemporary artistic techniques. The artist uses free and expressive ink structures as the color foundation of the paintings, blending the aesthetics of traditional Eastern calligraphy and ink-wash methods. Additionally, oil paint is layered to create a visually dynamic and expressive language full of tension.

▲ Zhu Youyi, Journey to Immortal Mountain, 116.5 x 80 cm, 2024.

▲ Zhu Youyi, Wild Freedom, 194x194cm, 2024

Taiwan’s outstanding representative of the new generation, Ji Bozhou, is renowned worldwide for his unique surrealist style, blending elements of animation, film, and classical art. His animated masterpiece The Tower of Light has won 28 international awards and has been included in educational curricula in multiple countries. The exhibition showcases previously unreleased, rare manuscripts, including early concept designs for the fantasy animated film Legend of Cloud Shadows, detailed character development sketches, intricate scene layout drawings, and storyboards hand-drawn by the artist himself. Also featured are other selected works, such as The Light of Memory, which depicts life, creative emotion, and meaning with warm brushstrokes, and The Surreal Sin, a reinterpretation of the Seven Deadly Sins that explores the duality of desire and the importance of values through deep reflection.

▲ Ji Bozhou, Imprisoned White Falcon, 36.5×53.5cm, 2021

▲ Ji Bozhou, Snowy Night Encounter, 36.5x54cm, 2020

“SUBLIMATION —昇華” Exhibition marks a new chapter for the St. James’s Gallery, the global headquarters of Christie’s, as it collaborates for the first time with a Taiwanese professional art institution to showcase contemporary Asian/Taiwanese artworks. The artistic creations of seven masters will shine on this prestigious global platform in the art market, not only opening the door to the international top-tier art market for Asian/Taiwanese art but also laying a significant foundation for the next generation of Taiwanese artists to enter the global stage. “Mo Hai Lou” will showcase its rich cultural heritage and innovative vitality with enhanced international visibility. This cross-regional, fusion of ancient and modern artistic celebration will be open for free to the public in Europe and America, offering a rare opportunity for art lovers, collectors, and audiences interested in Eastern culture to experience the unique charm of Asian/Taiwanese art up close.

[Curatorial Unit – Mo Hai Lou Introduction] Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute, with its unique perspective on art appraisal and rich museum curating experience, constructs exhibitions with high academic value and publications, gaining favor from cultural institutions both domestically and internationally. It provides professional consultation to international art collectors in areas such as art investment, authentication, and collection management. Through regular international exhibitions and professional lectures, the institute serves as an important platform connecting global art institutions, continuously contributing to the promotion of Taiwanese/Asian art.

[Curator Introduction] Dr. Ye Guoshin is the first Chinese to pursue a doctoral degree in art authentication in the UK. Demonstrating artistic talent from a young age, he entered the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University through a national top score. During his studies, he won first prizes in both calligraphy and Chinese painting at his department’s exhibition and graduation show. After graduating, he furthered his studies in the UK under the guidance of Dr. Wang Tao, the Pritzker Professor of Asian Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and learned from renowned Chinese art authorities, including Professor Su Liwen, Professor Brian Falkenbridge, and Dr. Li Changyu. With a synthesis of various authoritative appraisal theories, he created a unique system of authentication and contributed to academic institutions like National Taiwan Normal University, where he also established a scholarship to support outstanding and disadvantaged students.

Currently the founder of Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute, Dr. Yeh spent over ten years writing his monumental work 墨海春秋 (Mo Hai Chronicles), a 750,000-word, six-volume set that combines invaluable knowledge from both the academic and practical fields of art authentication. This book, the first comprehensive study of ancient and modern Chinese painting and calligraphy authentication after the pioneers Zhang Heng, Xu Bangda, and Yang Renkai, is noted for its scientific, academic, systematic, and logical approach, deeply analyzing the art market.

[Grace Han Brand Introduction] The art crafts leather goods brand Grace Han made its debut in London in 2019, after ten years of preparation. It combines outstanding craftsmanship to create meticulously crafted, timelessly elegant aesthetics. Designer Grace Wang blends Eastern and Western cultural influences, infusing the same level of care that one would give to a piece of artwork into every creation. Grace was inspired by her mother, Ms. Wang Chen-Jing Wen, an artist, and recalls drawing balanced lines with her mother in her childhood. This inspiration has evolved into her design philosophy, extending from oil canvases to leather, and giving birth to Grace Han’s three classic collections.

▲Emerging leather artist Grace Wang, also known as Grace, is the founder of the London-based art craft leather goods brand, Grace Han.

[Exhibition Information]
2024 Asian Art in London
Location: Christie’s London (8 King Street, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6QT)
Dates: October 30 to November 4, 2024