Ink and colour on linen paper on painting installation

56 × 35 × 25 cm. 22 × 13 3/4 × 9 7/8 in.

Signed in Chinese with an artist's stamp on the bottom of the back; dated with an artist's stamp on the inner of the neck

LITERATURE
2010, Peng Wei Works, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, p. 23 and 42
2015, Coming Full Circle: Peng Wei Solo Exhibition, National Museum of History, Taipei, p. 74
EXHIBITED
12 Apr-11 May 2008, Hidden Life: Apartment Diary, Lin & Keng Gallery, Beijing
24 Oct 2009-17 Jan 2010, Attitudes-Female Art in China, The European Centre of Contemporary Art, Brussels
15 May-20 Jun 2010, Body & Robe: Peng Wei's Solo Exhibition, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei
7 Aug- 20 Sep 2015, Coming Full Circle: Peng Wei Solo Exhibition, National Museum of History, Taipei

PROVENANCE
Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Taipei Tina Keng Gallery and signed by the artist

A Tale of The Past, Speaking of my Heart
Peng Wei's Thoughts and Creativity across Historical and Contemporary Art

“I value embroidery and clothing, as they are personalized items. Female clothing and shoes are more detailed and sophisticated. In comparison to male clothing, they are more valuable for me. As I grew up in an artistic household, I understand and appreciate traditions, and gets excited about other forms of art. Through variations of artistic medium, I am allowed to construct my own artistic expression and experience. In my perspective, Contemporary Art is a unique opportunity for the unexpressed.”

――Peng Wei

As one of China's most influential and iconic contemporary ink painting artist, Peng Wei explored multiple artistic platforms, ranging from flat surfaces to three-dimensional to identify her profound motif. This journey of exploration resulted in her consistent motif of “object”, as she deconstructs traditional elements by inserting Contemporary and refreshing notion to the traditional perspective of how “object” is portrayed.

Since early 2000, Peng experimented with variations of artistic medium to depict her Stone series, which was based on the imagery of the Taihu stone. From series titled Letters from a Distance, to silk shoe painting installations, to Good Things Come in Pairs, it all consists of personalized dialogue in relation to every thread, line, brushwork and textured surfaces. Tradition and culture are still nurtured and developed in contemporary seeting and discusses historical experinece of females across the decades. Whether these recollections are fiction or of reality, the role and impact of women was and continued to be seen in everyday gestures. Over the years, Peng is actively exhibiting to foster important conversations, such as her particiaption in 2017 Venice Biennale, and Belgian European Center of Contemporay Art project European Chinese Art Festival, the Attitudes-Female Art in China Exhibition. Her works were widely collected by important institutions, such as The Cleveland Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Hong Kong M+, and National Art Museum of China.

Exquisite and Delicate, Unqiue Picture-In-Picture

Since childhood, Peng Wei was trained in traditional ink. Her dexterity of precision, brushwork and details is clearly translated into an array of mediums, as she illustrated classical Chinese scenery in her contemporary practices. In her series of Doucai Cups (Lot 52), the artist referenced two petite Ming-Dynasty “Doucai” cups from Beijing Palace Museum as reference. Spiral patterns and green ink dominated the cups, highlighted by streams of red, yellow, green and black ink as decorative ornaments. After a clear glaze and firing, the cups' transcendence is enhanced, allowing each shade of colour to shine beyond the surface. In a rounded formation, the shallow cups does support the major focus of the ornated red and green flowers and leaves. As a whole, the decorated cups represent historical Chinese culture and legacy, from golden days to contemporary setting. In Peng's rendition on paper, our vision is focused on the precision of ink and layering. Each petal is delicately painted, combined with tie-dye effect of medium of ink. On the grains of the paper, each brushwork captures spirituality and invaluable essence and quality of ceramics. Each referenced item captures aesthetic and concepts that is core in every evolution of fine art. Peng Wei's consistent focus and research on an object's shape, year of creation, pattern, style, colour gradients and size is all encapsulated in her illustration of aesthetic. Regardless of her medium of choice, Peng beautifully summarizes a passage of time, history and peculiar ideas, and in response, epitomizes the core essence of painting within a painting, in which we are able to see examine distinctive historical periods in one visual setting.

Intricate Thoughts and Power in Women's Body

In Peng Wei's Painting Installation series, she applied a mixture of mediums to test her hypothesis and concepts. Traditional “Xuanzhi” paper was used to create the sculpture of a female torso. Despite the mere torso, the female has a classic female body-type, in which brings out essence of elegance that we are preconceived to associate with. On her chest, consists a group of scholars riding horses, with a leader character by the bottom of her torso. The depiction of men and horses convey movement and conversation within the group. As a collective imagery in a contemporary medium, it certainly brings back memory of classic Chinese tales and narratives with surrounding mountains, pavilions and dynamic conversations.

The female body became an important vessel to portray historical significance in Grazing No.2. (Lot 51) In a horse battle scenery, 36 riders appeared seamlessly, as if such imagery was borrowed from the infamous Tang-dynasty mural The Hunting Trip Map of Prince Zhang Huai. On the bottom of her torse, the alert army leader blocked off the path, and positioned his people and horses for safe discussions. Painted in muted red, green and black ink, the use of gradients created textural layers and depth amongst the group. In addition, delicate brushwork was demonstrated to clearly identify each rider, yet blend black ink constructed an appearance of elegance, and ambience of the past. Whether from afar or in close proximity, the details illustrated undoubtedly signifies Peng Wei's exquisiteness to details.

As referred by University of Chicago professor, Wu Hung's statement, “The message transcended in art, is often a recollection of an artist's experience with revolutionized women in the past.” From Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasty, women paved through difficult paths in order to be able to speak their minds, and express their thoughts. Their strenuous effort to break free from conventional restraints and mindsets allowed future women to experience education, career, status, identity and ethics that was once restrained. Hence, Peng Wei's series of works in conversation with female identity and value emphasize an equal tenacity, strength and resilience that stems from historical female figures to contemporary artists. It is certain that underlying the soft brushwork, females can achieve same level of success as the army soldiers in their scene of hunting, chasing and exploration.

Price estimate:
HKD: 180,000 - 280,000
USD: 22,900 - 35,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 216,000