2024 Asian Art Week Grand Opening! Mo Hai Lou‘s Taiwanese Special Exhibition Sets New Visitor Record at Christie’s London

2024-11-05

[Written by: Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute]

Europe’s oldest and largest Asian art event, Asian Art in London, will be grandly held from October 30 to November 4, 2024, in central London. As one of the most anticipated annual events in the global arts community, this exhibition attracts art institutions and creators from around the world to showcase a diverse and rich array of artistic creations. The renowned appraiser, curator, and art expert, Dr. Ye, leading the Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute, has once again been invited to participate, marking Taiwan’s exclusive representation at the event.

This year’s exhibition, themed “SUBLIMATION—昇華”, features seven heavyweight figures from the contemporary Asian/Taiwanese art scene, including 傅益瑤 (Fu Yi Yao), 泰祥洲 (Tai Xiang Zhou), 王思涵 (Grace Wang), 蘇憲法 (Su Xian Fa), 方文山 (Vincent Fang), 朱友意 (Zhu You Yi), and 紀柏舟 (Ji Bai Zhou). This groundbreaking exhibition not only marks the first collaboration between Christie’s London headquarters and a Taiwanese professional art institution but also sees Mo Hai Lou take center stage in launching the Christie’s UK art space, showcasing the powerful influence of Taiwanese art.

On the opening day, high-profile guests from the international art world gathered, including Sir Wei He, Chairman of Asian Art in London and Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, Ambassador Yao Jinxiang and Mr. Chen Zhiyang, Ms. Guo Fangru, Group Leader of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Dr. Wang Tao, Chief Curator of Asian Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, renowned European antiques dealer Daniel Eskenazi, James Wuang, President of Topline Group USA, Li Ruilan, General Manager of the European Region at Yongfeng Jin Securities, Wang Mingrong, CFO of MSI Technology Europe, Li Dianying, Vice Chairman of Chengye Biomedical, and many other notable scholars from the British Museum and major European museums, along with esteemed collectors, all in attendance to admire the artwork.

▲ From left to right: Artist Tai Xiangzhou, Fu Yi Yao, and curator Dr. Ye Guoxin together admire the ink painting “Eight Views of Xiao-Xiang” in long scroll format.

▲From right to left: Curator Dr. Ye Guoshin, renowned British art critic Brian Hawkenbridge, and artist Fu Yi Yao pose for a photo in front of the artwork “Mount Hiei Enryakuji.

Due to the overwhelming turnout exceeding expectations and setting a record at Christie’s Gallery, Christie’s specially deployed additional staff to maintain order. Local newspapers and magazines conducted continuous interviews, while visitors from across Europe traveled to catch a glimpse of the artist’s work. They often took out their phones to take photos, interacted with the artist, and discussed the artwork while taking photos together, sharing this spectacular art feast. On the first day, the number of visitors set a new record for contemporary art exhibitions at Christie’s London headquarters, successfully kicking off the brilliant opening of the 2024 London Asian Art Week.

▲ The exhibition hall was filled with enthusiastic visitors, showcasing an unprecedented scene of excitement.

The heavyweight artist featured in this exhibition, the Japanese-based ink master Fu Yi Yao, showcased several of his significant representative masterpieces, which were transported from Japan to Britain. A team from Japan’s NHK television station filmed a documentary covering Fu’s grand exhibition, capturing the entire process and showcasing the unique artistic status of this “Chinese Light—Person of the Year for Promoting Chinese Culture” award winner in Japan’s art scene. As the daughter of modern Chinese painting giant Fu Baoshi, Fu Yi Yao’s creations span a wide range of subjects, including Japanese temple murals, Japanese folk festivals, Tang dynasty and Kobayashi Issa-inspired poetic paintings, works imitating her father’s style, and classic ukiyo-e reproductions. Among these, her large-scale murals and Japanese folk festival series have particularly drawn the attention of European collectors.

▲ Artist Fu Yi Yao poses for a photo with overseas expatriates who traveled from afar at the exhibition venue.

Fu Yi Yao’s rain and snow scenes are considered the essence of her artistic creations, reflecting the unique artistic style shared by the Fu father-daughter duo. Her snow and rain landscape works utilize her father’s splashing alum technique, presenting layers of detail with flying snow and cascading rain, creating a vivid, water-drenched effect in the visual composition. In her snow scenes, Fu Yi Yao innovatively abandons the traditional powdering method, instead using the contrast between blank spaces and ink tones, combined with the splashing alum technique, to skillfully express various forms of falling snow. The Snow Scene of Eiheiji Temple is a representative work from Fu Yi Yao’s recent snow scene series. This piece depicts the entire view of the Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist Eiheiji Temple from an overhead angle. The mountains and pine forests surround the layered temple buildings, all enveloped in a blanket of snow. Fu employs delicate and rhythmic calligraphic lines to portray the outlines of the buildings, while cleverly using blank spaces to allow the snow scene to harmonize with its surroundings, evoking the Zen spirit.

The exhibition also features other representative works from Fu Yi Yao’s diverse series, including the highly praised Japanese folk festival series Aomori Nebuta Matsuri and Hachinohe Nebuta Matsuri; famous temple mural works such as Mount Hiei Enryakuji and Kyoto Sanjusangendo; Tang-inspired poetic paintings like Li Bai Mourning for Chao Qingheng and Eight Views of Xiao-Xiang; and works inspired by the Japanese haiku master Kobayashi Issa, such as Farewell to the Wild Geese, New Year’s Day, Full Moon Over the Fields, and Cherry Blossoms, the Revered Old Tree. In these, Fu Yi Yao expertly interprets the distinctive style of Issa’s haiku. Audiences can also appreciate Fu Yi Yao’s European sketching series, showcasing her continuous exploration of the fusion between Eastern and Western cultures.

▲Fu Yi Yao’s work Li Bai Mourning for Chao Qingheng, 2019, 178×277 cm.

▲Fu Yi Yao’s work Eight Views of Xiao-Xiang Scroll, 2021, ink on paper, 41 x 2162 cm.

The emerging artist Wang Grace presents leather as her primary medium in this exhibition, showcasing two unique artistic forms: classic leather bags and previously unseen creations. The series is meticulously crafted using leather in varying shades, textures, and layers. The latest masterpiece in the exhibition, Lake and Window, features a color palette dominated by soft light green and off-white tones. The different textures of the leather, under the artist’s skilled hands, transform into a shimmering misty lake at dawn, and also morph into the shadowy, ethereal image of a window. The work balances dynamic curves with static straight lines, their interplay creating a delicate aesthetic equilibrium. Renowned British art critic Brian Hawkenbridge commented that the piece seems to constantly shift and flow as the viewer’s perspective changes. The soft colors and lines imbue the entire work with a poetic quality, encouraging the viewer to discover new details and insights with every gaze.

Wang Grace’s leather art not only demonstrates her profound understanding of the material and exceptional craftsmanship but also reflects her unique interpretation of the beauty of nature. Other works in the exhibition, such as Sky Ballet, Glistening, Glimmer, and Lake and Window, focus on the changing beauty of water and light, transforming the resilient leather into fluid, ever-changing forms. These pieces highlight the versatility of leather and its infinite creative possibilities. Among them, Sky Ballet 00 is a large leather hanging artwork inspired by Wang Sihan’s mother’s painting Leaping. The piece captures the violent turbulence of a storm while presenting a balanced and tranquil horizon line, crystallizing the ferocious energy into a single stunning moment. This energy is then transformed into the dancing clouds in the sky, presenting a lighter, more romantic form.

▲Grace Han’s work Sky Ballet 08, 2024, made with calf leather, sheepskin, crocodile leather, and metal accessories, dimensions 41 x 37 x 11.5 cm.

▲ Grace Han’s work Flow, with Reflections, 2024, canvas, calf leather, sheepskin, crocodile leather, dimensions 133 x 120 cm.

Dr. Tai Xiangzhou, renowned for his recent Bronze Ware series, particularly the work Zhou Jue Hu, which graced the cover of the 2024 Sotheby’s September auction catalog in New York and achieved a sale price three times its starting bid, has once again become the center of attention in the international art world. His works have entered numerous prestigious global institutions, and his artistic achievements have marked historic breakthroughs for artists of his generation. In 2015, he became the first living artist in over 140 years to have his work acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago and held a solo exhibition there, further solidifying his esteemed position in the global art scene.

Important art institutions such as the Freer Gallery of Art, Sackler Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, as well as academic museums at institutions like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, have collected his works. To date, more than 39 pieces by Tai Xiangzhou are housed in top museums and academic institutions around the world, including in over 20 major museums in the U.S. and Europe.

Tai’s creative philosophy has also gained recognition from giants in the tech world. Yahoo founder Jerry Yang has collected pieces from his Celestial Phenomenon series for his private collection, while Tesla founder Elon Musk also owns works by Tai. The renowned American Wang Shaofang family, known for its collection of ancient art, has also acquired several of his masterpieces. Naturally, Tai’s work remains a major focus for heavyweight collectors in both mainland China and Taiwan.

Tai Xiangzhou is known for his unique artistic language, skillfully blending traditional painting techniques from the Song and Yuan dynasties with modern elements inspired by the cosmic universe. This fusion results in breathtaking ink creations that continuously astonish audiences. This exhibition showcases representative works from his various series, including Neoclassical, Galaxy, Bronze Ware, Kunlun Color Ink series, and Celestial Phenomenon. Notably, his work Galaxy Observation I, II, III is presented as a large triptych, depicting the vast expanse of the galaxy, combining traditional three-point perspective with modern photographic techniques. In the painting, flowing rivers, crashing waves, starry skies, waterfalls, and mountain rocks emerge from the mist, elevating the imagery of earthly landscapes and harmonizing with the celestial galaxy. The composition flows, presenting both the otherworldly beauty of ancient Chinese landscapes and the innovative vitality of contemporary art.

Another remarkable piece is Celestial Phenomenon – Unity of All, painted on a six-panel screen in the traditional Japanese style of gold silk mounting. Using Song and Yuan ink techniques, Tai portrays the mysteries of the universe through flowing clouds and changing starlight. His use of unique base materials aims to create a lively and dynamic energy, conveying a timeless cosmic force, while also reflecting the essence of Eastern aesthetic beauty.

▲Tai Xiangzhou, Observing the Galaxy I, II, III, 200×119 cm, 2022.

▲Tai Xiangzhou, Heart and Spirit (Detail), 2023, Silk and ink on paper, 39.3 x 280 cm.

The artistic creations of the renowned music prodigy Fang Wenshan evoke a harmonious resonance between tradition and modernity, as well as music and visual art. For example, the Punk Cat series cleverly incorporates elements of contemporary designer toys into classical Western frames, showcasing a unique aesthetic that blends the old and the new. Pure White, designed in the distinctive shape of a punk cat, features a half-white, half-transparent design that symbolizes purity of heart and a transparent attitude toward life, offering viewers a profound visual impact. Wenshan Flow is a creative piece that combines elements like rusted frames, cracked ice-patterned figures, and cursive calligraphy, reflecting the artist’s “free-spirited” style while evoking the passage of time and the depth of Eastern culture. In Deep Blue, the fusion of Western Baroque-style frames with the Song Dynasty porcelain cracking technique creates a deep, tranquil atmosphere, guiding viewers into a space of wisdom and inner peace.

Additionally, in the Lyric Installation Art series, Just Pretend I’m a Prelude to Meeting You, Fang Wenshan translates the lyrics of Jay Chou’s Blue and White Porcelain into the mysterious Xixia script, coloring it with rust and copper green. The Xixia script, a writing system based on the basic brushstrokes of Chinese characters, has intricate strokes and complex structures. Fang Wenshan cleverly uses the symmetrical and balanced nature of the Xixia script to create a rich historical and mystical aura in the artwork.

▲ Fang Wenshan, Wenshan Flow, 2023, Mixed media, wooden frame, 65 x 57 x 6 cm.

▲Fang Wenshan, Dialogue of Time and Space, 2024, Mixed media, 56 x 56.4 x 56 cm.

▲ Fang Wenshan, Pure White, 2024, Mixed media, 60 x 31 x 20 cm.

Professor Su Xianfa, also the president of Taiwan’s highest artistic academic institution, the Taiwan Fine Arts Institute, has recently created a series of exquisite works themed around the “Four Seasons,” showcasing his boundless creative passion. These works, through their dynamic and romantic color vocabulary, cleverly express the spatial experiences and journey memories within the visual images, constructing a delicate yet grand, rich yet serene, and both material and poetic imagery universe.

Among them, Ink Lotus Heart Reflection is one of the representative works, primarily in deep blue-black tones, accented with white, light blue, and pink. It presents the effect of lotus flowers or ripples reflected in the water. This piece successfully combines the essence of Eastern ink painting with the expressive power of Western abstract art, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the tranquil and dreamlike atmosphere of a lotus pond. Spring uses bright colors and flowing brushstrokes to depict the vitality of spring, vividly capturing the moment of seasonal change. Solo Champion portrays a summer lotus pond, where the lotus flowers compete for beauty against the backdrop of deep blue tones, creating a cool and elegant summer ambiance. Maple Red Reflecting Green captures the fleeting beauty of autumn maple leaves with interwoven purple-red and pink leaves set against a black-gold background, presenting a luxurious and profound ink-like effect. In Early Summer New Lotus, Su Xianfa skillfully uses oil paint layering techniques, allowing viewers to experience the interplay of strength and beauty. The thickly applied flowers and semi-abstract lotus leaves present a strong tension, deeply conveying the tranquility and beauty of summer lotus flowers.

This series not only demonstrates Su Xianfa’s delicate observation of the changing seasons but also reflects his unique creative style that blends Eastern and Western artistic techniques and aesthetic philosophies. Through rich colors, varied brushstrokes, and profound imagery, Su Xianfa successfully transforms natural scenes into poetic visual experiences, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in this beautiful world of imagery woven by the changing seasons.

▲Su Xianfa, Clear Fragrance of Green Water, 2020, Oil on canvas, 72.5 x 53 cm.

▲Su Xianfa, Cold Plum Blossom, 2023, Oil on canvas, 91 x 65 cm.

The Pine Tree Project series by Professor Zhu Youyi, a faculty member of the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University, will feature works such as Immortal Mountain Journey, Knowing the Tiger Lies in the Mountain, and Wild Spring in this exhibition. Drawing inspiration from the pine tree, a symbol beloved by scholars and literati, Zhu masterfully blends Eastern philosophical concepts with contemporary artistic techniques.

Using a free-flowing ink structure as the color base of the canvas, Zhu incorporates the aesthetic principles of traditional Eastern calligraphy and brushstroke techniques. Through layered oil paint, he creates a visual language full of tension and expressiveness. The “pine” in his paintings transcends mere representation, becoming a medium for the artist’s exploration of the intersection between nature and human culture.

▲Zhu Youyi, Wild Spring, 2024, Oil on canvas, 116.5 x 80 cm.

The works of the emerging animation director Ji Baizhou blend elements of animation, film, and classical fine art. His talent has been widely recognized internationally, with over 40 prestigious awards to his name. His animated masterpiece Tower of Light has won 28 international awards and has been included in educational curricula across various countries.

The exhibition features rare unpublished sketches, including early conceptual designs for the fantasy animated film Legend of Cloud Shadows, detailed character development sketches, intricate scene layouts, and storyboards personally drawn by the artist. These works not only showcase Ji Baizhou’s exceptional drawing skills but also provide a rare glimpse into the complete process of his creative ideas, from their inception to their full realization.

Additionally, the exhibition will highlight other series, such as Light of Memories, which uses warm brushstrokes to explore life, creation, and the meaning of emotions, and The Surreal Sin, a reinterpretation of the Seven Deadly Sins. This series delves into the duality of desire and the importance of values, offering a profound reflection on human nature.

▲Ji Baizhou, Jealousy Hill, 2024, Watercolor on paper, 26 x 32.5 cm.

Mo Hai Lou and Christie’s Collaboration Exhibition
The recent collaboration between Mo Hai Lou and the globally renowned art platform Christie’s not only successfully showcased the cultural heritage and innovative vitality of Taiwanese art but also opened the doors of the international top-tier art market for Taiwanese art. The exhibition closed on November 5, drawing constant media attention and numerous visitors. It allowed art lovers from Europe and the United States to witness the unique charm of Taiwanese art, marking an unprecedented new era of art diplomacy for Taiwan.

About Mo Hai Lou
Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute is renowned for its unique perspective on art authentication and research, as well as its extensive experience in museum curation. The institute constructs academically valuable exhibition narratives and publications, widely favored by cultural institutions around the world. It provides expert consultation in art investment, authentication, and collection management, catering to international art collectors. Additionally, the institute regularly organizes international exhibitions and professional lectures, connecting global art organizations and continually contributing to the promotion of Taiwanese/Asian art.

About the Curator, Dr. Ye Guoshin
Dr. Yeh Guo-Xin is the first Chinese scholar to pursue art authentication studies in the UK and obtain a doctoral degree. He displayed artistic talent from an early age, winning the national top honor and gaining early admission to the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. During his time at university, he earned dual first-place awards in calligraphy and Chinese painting at both department and graduation exhibitions. After graduation, he continued his studies in the UK, learning from Dr. Wang Tao, the Pritzker Professor of Asian Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and collaborating with Chinese art authority Professor Su Liwen, renowned scholar Brian Fakenbridge, and Dr. Li Chang-Yu. He synthesized the best of these scholars’ theories to create his own distinctive authentication methodology.

Dr. Ye is the founder of Mo Hai Lou International Art Research Institute. Over the past decade, he authored the monumental work Mo Hai Chun Qiu, comprising six volumes and nearly 750,000 words. This book integrates invaluable knowledge from both the academic and practical realms. It is the first comprehensive research on the authentication of ancient and modern Chinese paintings, continuing the legacy of previous scholars such as Zhang Heng, Xu Bangda, and Yang Renkai. The work stands as a scientifically rigorous, academically profound, and logically structured study that also offers an in-depth analysis of the market.

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

來源 : Fei Chi Zhong Art Network

Back media report