WENG JIJUN & WENSEN QI
Collision

14 September - 12 October 2019
Paris, France
Galerie Dumonteil Paris is very pleased to present Collision, a dual solo exhibition of Chinese artist Weng Jijun and French artist Wensen Qi, featuring two artists’ most recent practice in lacquer painting. This exhibition opens a new discourse as well as their thoughts and contemplations on this traditional art form during the contemporary era. 

To Weng Jijun (b.1955, Shanghai), the oxidation process reveals the very essence of lacquer and enriches its language of expression. Mastering various sophisticated lacquer-making techniques, Weng pays more attention to the fundamental aspect of lacquer and painting by expressing in a simpler, more direct approach and transforming some of the lacquer techniques into abstract expressions. Collison will feature Weng's several series, including the Memory series, Angle series, Landscape series, and the Cluster series inspired by the intangible culture heritage Xipi Qi (or Rhino Skin Lacquer, if translated directly).

Wensen Qi (formerly known as Vincent Cazeneuve, b. 1977, Toulouse region, France) is keen on experimenting with various materials driven by his fascination with human’s ability to transform natural materials throughout history and how various materials react to the magic touch of time. In order to allow these materials to fully integrate with each other, the artist patiently waits, reflects, and again sets off for the unknown. Thus, the variety of materials endows Wensen’s work with both structural and temporal dimensions, in which the original property of the materials is often neglected or half-lost. This shift between the familiar and the unfamiliar shapes Wensen’s artistic language, like a modest thinker reveals the beauty conceived in silent contemplation.

Recently, La Gazette Drouot, the renowned French art magazine has interviewed both artists, engaging in discussions over the new directions of this genre as well as lacquer, the material itself, and further calls for refreshed perspectives on the aesthetics and values attached to this enduring art. (by Caroline Boudehen)
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