Where the River Twists

Sparking in the late 1950s art world of the United States were the Pop Art and Minimalism, two primary movements that departed from the gestural and subjective nature of the previous generation. Pop artists blurred the boundaries between “high” and “low” culture by creating art pieces of mass culture objects, media and political stars. Minimalism notably introduced highly simplified geometric forms, reductive serial compositions, and the use of unmodified industrial materials and fabrication methods. Meanwhile, the show also features European artists that are not associated with either movement, but master the techniques, procedures, and style resonating these movements.

Apart from the others, the exhibition creates another extraordinary dialogue from artist to artist: from the Ji’an-born Chinese artist Liu Jianhua, and one of the closest Belgian associates of Zero Group, Walter Leblanc. Both known for their non-traditional materials, Liu stands away from the prevailing styles in contemporary art, and transfers paper, leaves, and ink drops into curious and fragile porcelain sculptures. Firm believer in strategies for painting without pigment, LeBlanc introduced “torsion” (twists) to his work— he tightened and twisted cotton threads, and eventually plastic ribbons, over traditional supports to create ray-like patterns and simple geometric shapes. Both talents have been primarily interested in motion, and the perfect balance between objects and space.

Taipei’s Songshan district was originally named Malysyakkaw, a lowland Ketagalan word meaning, “where the river twists”. Geographically, it most likely suggests that the district is where the Keelung River twists, flows, and nourishes. “We hope that the exhibition upends the narrative of aggressive progresses by independent art movements and bridges the twisted rivers from the east and the west, and have forces generated from various artist practices mix, twist and flow in their very free, true and effortless forms”, stated the Director of Wangsim, Adel Wang.

The exhibition is generously supported by Pace Gallery (Beijing / Hong Kong), Edouard Simoens Gallery (Knokke, Belgium), and QG Gallery (Brussels, Belgium).