Echoing Harmony: A Chinese Ink Artist Plays With Space

Description

With the evolution of her individual style to include relief and space, Chinese artist Li Ting Ting (b. 1982) successfully creates dimensions and viewpoints that pique the viewer’s curiosity and imagination. “Since 2017, I have been attempting to incorporate a three-dimensional element to my paintings,” she says. “Space in conventional landscapes has been de-constructed and replaced. The interplay of positive and negative three dimensional spaces challenges viewers in their visual judgement… The traditional mode of presentation and viewing of Chinese ink painting is being challenged here, allowing space to create its own interpretation.”

Whilst exploring the theme of ‘Harmony’ in her landscapes, the artist celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the past and attempts to pay homage to master ink painters such as Dong Qichang (1555 – 1636) and Tang Yin (1470-1524). Yet her contemporary execution and technique further reveal a firm step into the future. Constancy and change are both reflected in a nuanced manner in Li’s delicate and celestial creations that blur the boundaries of traditional ink painting and Pop Art, two genres that have greatly influenced Li.