Employed by spiritual traditions of both western and eastern doctrines, mandalas act serve as sacred (and secular) narratives, composed of icons and symbols aimed at unifying its viewer with a sense of oneness.

Xu Kong observes the mandala as a visual illustration employed in meditation and its ability to provide solace to viewers. The exhibition examines the sequence of patterns and personal codes used by four artists working in the mediums of video, painting, and photography, and applies their work to the significance of iconography in meditation.

Art + Shanghai Gallery exhibition, Wuwei: Being and Nothing explored the common ground between the mandala-creating practice of mindfulness and the Taoist/Buddhist concept “Wuwei” (non-action), emphasizing being in the moment and how it applies to particular artworks. As a principle employed in creativity, Wuwei explored selfless action as a doctrine used by five artists working in video, painting, sound and performance. Engaged in the creative process, the artists were not concerned with any particular outcome, emphasizing the journey rather then the end (work) displayed.

While Wuwei sought to investigate the human ontological dilemma for being in the world, Xu Kong is marked by unconventional imagery of a more metaphysical nature. The exhibition focuses on the use of space and more specifically how trivial codes and patterns are used by an artist to communicate meaning to an audience. Both are representative of more ‘abstract’ art, yet highlight distinct aspects, Wuwei, the action and Xu Kong the visual.

Art critic and scholar, Gao Minglu, refers to such artists, often filed under the umbrella term of abstract art, as “Maximalists” [1950s Minimalism and late 20th century Western Modernism]. For Gao, the artists go beyond the formal appearance of an artwork to express an individual perception through daily practices.

Expanding Gao’s theory to include ‘non-Chinese’ abstract art or Maximalism, the physical form of the artwork is not the essence of the art, but rather the presence of art is found in the relationship between the artwork and the artist’s affect on it, as impacted by the his/her environment. His point is illustrated in Xu Kong through the works of artists who expresses his/her spatial concepts through repetitive forms, creating an infinite, non-linear, narrative and/or space.

And as scene in Wuwei, such narrative landscapes are capable of establishing a meditative apparitions for both the creator and viewer alike. Similar to the philosophical poetry of early 17th century Europe or Tibetan Vajrayana mandalas, the works of Xu Kong are seculamentals (secular sacraments) to be venerated not for what they are, but for what they represent. They symbolize an understanding and feeling that cannot be read and must be experienced.

March 5^th to April 28^th