The choice of medium and method of expression are never the final goals of art. The four artists Xu Bing, Liu Dan, Wang Tiande, and Feng Bin use different mediums and artistic forms, but they all confidently apply the aesthetic language of ink to display their visual experiences, describe their personal perceptions, express their concerns in life, and pose questions to both tradition and modernity. At the same time, they all retain a certain inherent relationship to the Chinese culture. Their works, regardless of conceptual approach or visual discourse have developed in the context of contemporary life, and, as with other forms of Chinese art today, represent the contemporaneity of society and culture. Actually, if we leave behind the anxiety that comes with the ink “complex,” we will see a much broader space for artistic expression. |