Bai Shui's ongoing exhibition, Contemplating at Ease, held at Shanghai's Chun Art Museum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Water is imbued with philosophical meanings in Chinese cultural tradition. For example, Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), the classic text of Laozi, the thinker who lived nearly 2,500 years ago, says "shang shan ruo shui", meaning the highest goodness is like water, to benefit all lives without struggling with them.
Artist Bai Shui grew up in Jiangnan, the picturesque southern region of the Yangtze River's lower reaches. Water is no stranger to her, not only because it is part of her name — shui means water in Chinese — but also, she was raised up in an environment that was water-rich — rivers, streams and rain.
Her works reflect an intimacy with water, laced with an emotional attachment to her hometown, and philosophical outlook of water as a reflection of oneself, the relations between one and his or her surroundings and nature.
Bai Shui's ongoing exhibition, Contemplating at Ease, held at Shanghai's Chun Art Museum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The value is at the heart of her ongoing exhibition, Contemplating at Ease, held at Shanghai's Chun Art Museum until April 29. It is curated by Zhang Zikang.
The paintings, installations and image works on show celebrate water as the source of life and the flowability of it in which people have seen the power of tolerance, self-cleaning and generosity.
Bai Shui's ongoing exhibition, Contemplating at Ease, held at Shanghai's Chun Art Museum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The works exemplify the approach of Bai, who now lives in Shanghai and Hong Kong, to make works that bring interesting experiences and meanwhile evoke thoughts.
She has integrated hand drawing with digital painting. She hopes that her approach would not make people feel too technical, but deliver aesthetic experiences in a natural way.
Bai Shui's ongoing exhibition, Contemplating at Ease, held at Shanghai's Chun Art Museum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Bai Shui's ongoing exhibition, Contemplating at Ease, held at Shanghai's Chun Art Museum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
