Acrylic and mixed media on canvas

90 × 90 cm. 35 3/8 × 35 3/8 in.

Signed and titled in Chinese and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Lotus Art Gallery, Kaohsiung and signed by the artist

World in a Grain of Sand, Voiceless Sound in the Clamor
Serendipity in Empty Nature by Shen Chang-Ming

To many, the term “art therapy” is a concept that is both strange and distant. However, it helped artist Shen Chang-Ming overcome the grief of losing a child and enabled him to achieve a deeper understanding of the natural order of things and the four states of phenomena in the Buddhist principles of physics: Formation, existence, destruction and emptiness. As a pious Buddhist, Shen has observed: “In order to commemorate my son, I repeatedly copied the Heart Sutra on canvas and on many occasions this led to the formation of a special texture which allowed me to understand the concepts of Yin and Yang, virtual and real, opening up the way to a new creative method.”

Finding Peace and Continuing with One's Pursuits

Through a combination of abstract painting and writing, the works of Shen Chang-Ming reflect not only the calmness and imagination of the artist's inner soul but also the power of meaning in written words. The work Serendipity in Empty Nature sets out from the Buddhist Sutra notion that “all living things possess their own changeless essence.” In this piece, the overlapping different sized brush strokes create a vast and boundless sense of space on the canvas, a testament to the idea of “seeing the world in a grain of sand.” In the upper part of the painting there are two curved lines, one blue, one pink that appear to be guided by some invisible force, replete with kinetic potential and surrounding a constantly rotating orange-coloured sphere. This is an abstract representation of one of Kepler's laws of planetary motion: “every planet's orbit is an ellipse with the Sun at a focus.” In this sense, it offers a visual representation of balance and harmony, but also symbolizes the fact that the vastness of the cosmos is not easily grasped by humanity.

In addition, with changes in the light and viewing point, Chinese characters quietly appear in the gaps within the multicoloured nebula, creating particular meanings. For example, voiceless sound continually repeats in the space ... or it also symbolizes the fact that human nature is invariably disturbed by the commonplace happenings of life, but as long as one retains a clear heart it is possible to never lose one's way despite the surrounding clamour and chaos. With art as his medium Shen Chang-ming expresses the fundamental belief that religion and science reach the same destination by different paths.

Price estimate:
HKD: 50,000 - 80,000
USD: 6,400 - 10,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 90,000