Chinese artist embraces nature shaping his work

(MENAFN) Tucked away in the forest of Eastover Estate & Eco-Village, tall scrolls stand quietly, dancing in the summer breeze. About a meter wide and three meters tall, these scrolls have been weathered by rain, snow, sunlight, and time since their installation a year ago, becoming part of the forest landscape.

Crafted on rice paper mounted to sturdy non-woven fabric and hung between trees, the scrolls form the centerpiece of “Solar Terms: Contemporary Ink Art Event,” an outdoor exhibition that began on July 27, 2024, and concludes on July 26, 2025. The project showcases the work of four renowned Chinese contemporary ink artists — Lan Zhenghui, Li Gang, Qin Feng, and Zhang Zhaohui — who blend expressive abstraction with classical Chinese literati traditions.

The exhibition’s central concept was not to preserve the artwork, but to allow nature to shape it. "In traditional Asian art," said art critic Richard Vine, also former managing editor with Art in America, at the exhibit’s opening, "we often depict fragility -- cherry blossoms, wilting flowers -- to suggest something lasting, transcendent. Here, it's reversed. The art itself is fleeting. It's being altered, or destroyed, by nature. And that's the point."

Over time, some scrolls have faded under the sun, others show signs of wear from rain and wind, and a few have vanished entirely. Yet for those who return to the forest, the evolving state of the artworks adds layers of depth and significance to the experience.

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