CRI听力:Innovative Chinese Ink Art Exhibit Opens in Beijing

Reporter: A prominent figure in the development of modern Chinese ink art, 54-year-old Wang Tiande, has reinvented traditional Chinese script and painting through his innovative use of materials. Wang painted layers of Chinese characters and landscapes in ink onto paper or vellum, then accentuated certain elements by burning the material with cigarettes or incense.

His solo exhibition, which opened over the weekend at the Today Art Museum in Beijing, is titled "Kai Men," or "Open Door," as the artist interprets its meaning.

"As Chinese ink art becomes more widely admired nowadays, we should consider how to open a new door of exploring the possibility to better develop Chinese contemporary ink art. Meanwhile, I also hope my "Open Door" exhibition would be inspiring, as it shows my approach in combining ancient Chinese classical texts with modern art."

Wang's special "burnt" creativity exploration came from one of his experiences in 2002. Wang Tiande's cigarette butt accidentally fell onto a piece of paper and caused it to hollow out from the burning.

A new dimension of Chinese ink art has been unveiled since. While Wang Tiande continues to "burn" calligraphy and landscapes using incense as of 2012, the layout of his work has seen a new round of transformation.

Gao Peng, curator of the Today Art Museum, says that burned Chinese characters being placed on top of a layer of traditional calligraphy and landscape pieces creates an impressively distinctive spatial implication.

"His ink paintings are sort of destructive and many of his exhibited works represent his unique visual language. The 'Open Door' exhibition will impress visitors with the overall spatial relationship his paintings try to present, as if the viewers are gradually led to a much broader area from a narrow door they enter."

In addition, the artist's calligraphy and landscape paintings, where incense sticks are used instead of brushes, evokes a vivid feel of historical and natural erosions.

For CRI, I'm Zhang Qizhi.