DIALOGUES: Touring Exhibition curated by Chen Lusheng, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, Italy

WALKING IN THE SUN

AI JING, Artist

At the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, I saw a painting by Jan Brueghel titled Vase of Flowers with Jewel, Coins & Shells. At that moment, what I saw was not the exquisite colors, nor did I notice that there were shells, coins, or jewelry in the painting, I saw an aura in which the flowers blossomed magically.

In my paintings, I started inserting the "love" symbol in my series , transforming the previous conceptual language to the more painterly language. It is a process of craftsmanship: every day and each day, I layered a new color on the previous one. The colors recycled and replaced themselves on the canvas, and they each left marks on the canvas in their own ways and developed new aesthetic relations through these marks. My use of colors and these floral patterns are not an imitation of the nature; instead, it is a depiction of emotions and imagination.

I am obsessed with the color gold. I think it comes from my pursuit of light. In the golden series, one can distinguish many refined layers. At the beginning, my eyes would hurt after staring at the golden canvas for so long. It was exactly the kind of delirium that I was looking for. It seemed as if I arrived at a deeper rim of the light, and I got used to it and became capable of working on it for an extended period of time.

I got to my studio every day, and Saturdays and Sundays are my most productive time. I think about my grandfather often when I work. During my early childhood, I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather would make wooden furniture himself and decorated them with carved flowers. He worked on this at night after he came back from his day job at the factory. He meticulously mixed chemicals to make an adherent, which smelled like resin then used the adherent to stick the flowers on the wooden furniture. The last step was to paint over the furniture. He had a room full of tools, and all the tools were organized tidily. I still dream about that room, and all the carving knives of different sizes hung on the wall, all kinds of saws, and the nails in the boxes. I think I am becoming more and more like my grandfather, with his intensity and determination. Later on I found out, he was also a Libra, who strives for perfectionism. 

I once said that I would sing for the blue collars, and today I have become one. With my work, I have become more and more humble and softer inside. As I am more grateful for what I have, I have become more resilient as well. My daily work is repetitive, like a monk singing hymns. What must be completed today cannot be delayed till tomorrow or the day after. The goal is to advance one self and experience life earnestly.

I have been running free in the world of colors with determination, chasing the light as if it were the sun. This is very different from making music. When I was making music, my inspiration came from the moon. I wrote a song called Chasing the Moon and would always work late at night. I liked to stare at the moon absorbing information and sentiments transmitted to me by the moon. On the other hand, the sun has influenced my visual art creativity. I forgot when I started to enjoy walking in the sun, following the light.

Not long ago, I bought a Bible. I randomly flipped the book open and the first line I saw shocked me. "This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all". 

When I visited the library of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Da Vinci's manuscript revealed something unsettling to me in the dim light: That the answer lie in the solitary and esoteric life, seeking light in darkness.

Da Vinci, whether it is his paintings, inventions, or his writings, everything he did has left unsolved mysteries. He is an insurmountable figure, he is a genius, and he is a craftsman who could not share his troubles with the others of his time. If I had the opportunity to talk with him, I would have many questions.

I returned to New York last fall. When I was perusing the Italian paintings and sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I took note of the repeated information about that era. Then I participated in an architecture tour group and spent two weeks in Italy. We visited about forty buildings from the Renaissance. When I stepped inside the Punta Della Dogana Museum designed by Tadao Ando, I found courage and confidence. Renaissance does not solely belong to Italy; instead, it continues to take place all around the world. Renaissance is the reawakening of self-consciousness and introspection. Every person and every artist can converse with his or her own past in a way that make sense at any time.

Upon returning to Beijing, kept searching for answers in books and stumbled upon an opportunity to converse with Da Vinci. I discovered his oil painting Portrait of a Musician of the permanent collection at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana. In this portrait, the young musician holds a music sheet, but the notes are barely legible. I am not sure if the ambiguity was intentional or a result of time. In any case, Da Vinci left us a clue or hint for further investigation. I was very excited and this could be the beginning of my conversation with Da Vinci. I began to imagine and compose the auditory aspect of this painting. Based on the notes in the portrait, I wrote music and turned it into a turning mechanical wheel.

There are, many gear designs in Da Vinci's manuscripts, which fascinate me. They might not seem too complex by today's standard. However, this is what a pioneer and visionary have left for us.

When my father was five, his mother passed away. My father grew up with his grandfather who was a talented musician. After the Cultural Revolution, my father graduated from the technician school and was assigned to work in factories. His right shoulder was slanted due to twenty years of turning the wheels at the factory. My father enjoyed playing musical instruments and he could play six different kinds. My childhood memory consists of my father as a worker and as a musician who played on stage.

There was a period in my life when I found serenity from Buddhism and learned to renounce my arrogance and ignorance. I kneeled in front of the Buddha and I prayed. I prayed for the peace and safety of everyone I know, especially my family. The only wish I had for myself was forgiveness, from the people I have unintentionally hurt.

Rarely do I go to temples these days, nor is there a shrine or sanctuary in my home. The Buddha lives in my heart, in the air. The Buddha watches everything I do or say.

There is a special connection between the Bible and me. I have opened the Bible three times in my life, and each time it gave me an epiphany that I desperately needed at that moment.

My understanding about God is that he exists everywhere, amidst the universe and the nature. We just need to listen for what God tells us with a big heart and life will go, as it should.

China and Italy are two spectacular countries. There are a lot of similarities in inventions and religion between the two. Our nations have both experienced strenuous challenges to get to where we are today. The advancement of civilization is owed to the wisdom of our ancestors, but human beings have never stopped exploring further. The Internet and other new technologies have drastically changed our lives and brought us new experiences.

I saw a sculpture called Pray at the Ambrosiana Museum, and I was surprised to see that the prayer gesture is the same as the Chinese one-finger crossed at the center of the body.

I made a sculpture called Ai Pray through 3-D printing, and it is casted from my own hands in the shape of prayers. This is my salutation to technology. The development of humanity occurs with curiosity, and we must continue to create. 

DIALOGUES IN MILAN

CHEN LUSHENG, Deputy Director of the National Museum of China

Milan is a diverse city. Most people think of it as a city of fashion because many luxury brands come from Milan. For those who like music, they admire the Teatro alla Scala, which has a history of 230 years, known as one of the most stunning opera houses in the world. Of course, everybody would see the Milan Cathedral. The most notable feature remains The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie, one of the few places in the world that require advanced appointments in order to visit. Visitors must come in as a group during their assigned time slot and each group has only 30 minutes. Milan is an ancient and charming city for so many reasons.

The extraordinary Leonardo da Vinci had spent the best years of his life in Milan. He had dabbled in many fields; besides his artistic talent, he was accomplished in astronomy, physics, medicine, architecture, irrigation, military, machinery, and geology. A very long and impressive resume filled his 67 years. Between age 30 and 46 (1482 – 1498), da Vinci was under patronage of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. The artist established a studio in Milan with his apprentices. In 1506, da Vinci had moved back to Milan as Sforza’s power shifted back. He painted the now renowned The Last Supper at age 43 in 1495. The well-preserved ceiling fresco of Sala delle Asse at the Sforza Castle is not only a testimony to the relationship between the artist and the Duke but also an example of da Vinci’s talent. On the other hand, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana Museum is known for the thousands of studies by da Vinci.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Milan is marked with da Vinci’s traces. Therefore, when Milan hosted the 42nd World Expo in 2015, one of the most remarkable cultural events was the exhibition Leonardo da Vinci 1452 – 1519 at the Palazzo Reale. It was called the most important da Vinci exhibition in the history. Alongside, the Sforza Castle presented an ingeniously curated exhibition complemented with new technology that unfolded the history of the Sala delle Asse and the conservation process, in addition to da Vinci’s artistic talent. It made perfect sense to fully take advantage of da Vinci’s legacy to demonstrate Milan’s charm and beauty. It was a new Renaissance in Milan in the 21st century.

The Chinese artist Ai Jing also took advantage of this rare opportunity, she brought her work and sought a way to communicate with the masterpieces at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana Museum. Art has evolved drastically during the span of 600 years, as was Milan Expo in every aspect from what came 100 years before. Civilizations thrive because of development and diversity. Renaissance brought scientific and artistic revolutions; the Three Giants began a new chapter for European art, while on the other side of the world, the four masters from the Ming Dynasty sustained their legacy. Everything after the scientific revolution in Europe brought changes to the world, yet China faced its own tragedy as its power and influence weakened slowly. However, today, it is incredible to think about how far China has come. Just five years ago, Shanghai hosted the 41st World Expo, and many artists like Ai Jing herself have stepped outside the country and interacted with the world.

HEAVENLY LIGHT

PIER FRANCESCO FUMAGALLI, Vice-Director of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana

The harmony expressed in the artistic creations of Aijing reflects a ray of heavenly light, it invites to dialog, peace and love. This harmony enhances the hunger for beauty and happiness which always arises insatiably in men and women and which - summarized in the Confucian valour of coherence and loyalty 信 (xin) - has greater value, even in the physical nourishment and in the pure strength necessary to resist evil, according to the Confucian teaching.

Zigong asked about government. The Master said, "The requisites of government are that there be sufficient food, sufficient military equipment, and the confidence 信 (xin) of the people in their ruler." Zigong said, "If one had to dispense with one of those three, which should be given up first?" "The military equipment," said the Master. Zigong again asked, "If on had to dispense with one of the two remaining, which should be given up?" The Master answered, "Give up the food. Forever, death has always been the lot of men; but if the people have no faith 信 (xin) in their rulers, they cannot stand."

This superior nourishment of life becomes passion generating mercy and compassion towards every human being and even to all creatures and allows to perceive the universal beauty and to translate it into signs, symbols, music, words and pictures.

The meeting between two conceptions of art in Asia and in the West will contribute towards a new Renaissance and a new Humanism in which cultural, civil and aesthetic traditions will meet and fecundate each other. That is the case for artists such as Ding Fang, He Shuifa, Cui Ruzhou and Ai Jing. The exhibition in Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, on the occasion of the Expo 2015, offers a space dedicated to personal meditation and contemplation on that eagerness to love.