A Gift of Don Quixote 

by Zirui Zhuang

In 1605, the renowned Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes gave birth to "Don Quixote," a seminal piece in modern literature, introducing a character of the same name. This character embodies the innermost aspirations and dreams of every individual, while poignantly mirroring the disillusionment encountered in the face of reality. Don Quixote represents the everyday person, exemplifying universal yearnings, obstacles, and resilience. Don Quixote, resembling a naive child yet to encounter the world, faces it with a guise of innocence.

Drawing inspiration from this, Art+ Shanghai Gallery is hosting “A Gift of Don Quixote," a joint exhibition by artists Xie Aige and Zuo Wenquan. The exhibit showcases various recent works by both artists, delving into their personal realms via sculptures and paintings.

British art critic John Berger, in "Ways of Seeing," remarked, “We first perceive before we speak. A child recognizes before it can articulate. But there's also a pre-verbal aspect of vision. It's through vision that we situate ourselves in the world; words serve to describe this world, yet they can't change the fact that we are part of it. The link between sight and knowledge is always evolving.” This underscores the profound impact visuals have in shaping immediate impressions in the viewer's mind.

Hence, the artworks of these academically trained artists radiate a youthful innocence, which is not naivety but rather a deep artistic simplification. This translates into a transformative reduction in technique, enhancing the essence of their creations.

Born in 1977 in Hunan Province, China, Xie Aige is now a established artist with exhibitions in cities like Shanghai, London, Miami, and Taipei, and participation in various art fairs. Her works have now been collected by enterprises and institutions such as Shanghai Jing'an Kerry Centre, Kohler Corporation in USA, Park Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai, Beijing Capital Airport, People's Bank of Italy, and Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art.

In this exhibition, Art+ Shanghai Gallery presents two of Xie Aige's sculpture series: "Toy Series" and "Floral World Series." The "Toy Series" is inspired by her deep contemplation of her childhood, spent amidst the mountains and nature. Her playthings were not commercial products, but natural objects, sparking her imagination and becoming cherished companions. As an adult, Xie Aige's habit of collecting toys serves as a homage to her childhood, with each piece holding unique memories and global significance. This series features sculptures accompanied by minimalist figures, modeled after the artist's nephew. The idea was sparked during a seaside trip, where the sight of her nephew playing in the sunset evoked strong emotions. She perceived this as a continuation of her family legacy, encapsulating the vitality and innocence of childhood. Thus, she merged her toy collection with these figures to create sculptures brimming with life.

The "Floral World Series" draws from her reading of the "Heart Sutra." In it, the artist grapples with worldly influences and transforms human desires into blooming flowers, challenging objectification. Her continuous reflection on the "Heart Sutra" led her to understand the profound concept that "all dharma are empty," recognizing the world's dialectical relationships and interconnectedness. The "Floral World” series artistically represents human material desires through floral imagery. Flowers in her work symbolize not just femininity and life's bloom but also human accomplishment. This vibrant life bloom signifies transcendent happiness. She embodies Don Quixote's bravery, exploring life's essence and the intricate interplay between humans, nature, and desires.

Zuo Wenquan, born in 1991 in Gansu Province, China, earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics in 2016. Although he has an economics background, art has been a vital part of his life, having studied painting since high school and later at the Chinese National Academy of Art's Oil Painting Institute.

In Zuo Wenquan's art, imagery is crucial, especially his portrayal of flowers and crows. His childhood, spent in his grandfather's garden in Gansu, was a personal Eden, filled with vibrant flowers that now symbolize his happiest memories and an irreplaceable childhood. These memories are distilled into simplified floral images in his work, representing more than just botanical elements but embodying cherished recollections. Conversely, crows represent his life post-graduation in Beijing, a time marked by isolation and mental decline, yet symbolizing a yearning for freedom.

The metaphor of flowers and crows, as proposed by Nietzsche, represents the concept of Apollonian symbolizing order, reason, form, and beauty, contrasted with Dionysian embodying passion, intuition, revelry, and creativity. Nietzsche, in his work "The Birth of Tragedy," uses Greek tragedy as a prototype to explore how these seemingly opposing ideas achieve harmony and unity, giving birth to art. In Zuo Wenquan's creations, the flowers and crows represent memories of joy and pain, just like the binary opposition of Apollonian and Dionysian. In his large-scale works, this symbiotic state is very vividly portrayed.

"Alive, But yet not here," a significant three-meter work created in 2022, serves as the inaugural piece in this series. Artist Zuo Wenquan masterfully captures an emotional threshold he was navigating during this period. The painting features a subtle handling of elements: certain objects cast shadows, creating a blend of flat and dimensional effects, lending a dramatic, stage-like quality to the scene. The artwork portrays an imagined funeral setting. A figure stands on the left, emotionlessly offering white flowers. The motifs of crows and flowers are intricately woven together in this piece. The funeral scene symbolically represents a parting with the past, acknowledging that all moments, joyful or sorrowful, inevitably reach an end. Yet, akin to a Möbius strip where ends meet, this farewell also suggests a new beginning. Zuo Wenquan vividly paints a verdant, nature-filled background, symbolizing the emergence of a renewing spring following the rain, a metaphor for rebirth after a period of hardship.

In the 2023 artwork "Look, The Fire is White," a pink flower at the center is being overtaken by white flames. A person in the forefront, facing the viewer, is partially hidden behind yellow flowers, with their back to the blaze. This layout boasts a cinematic scope, akin to an epic scene from a Hollywood film, where a hero coolly walks away from a blazing car. The pink flower ablaze symbolizes a childhood fading away, with all its past splendors gradually diminishing over time. However, there's a comforting aspect: these precious memories, like spring's dandelions, are implanted in the heart, blossoming into vibrant flowers across the face. This illustrates the decline and perpetuation of cherished moments in memory. Farewells are a constant in life, with each departure leaving a fragment of one's soul behind. Yet, in doing so, one also embraces their entire past. These collective experiences forge a new soul, equipped with the initial bravery to forge ahead on life's path.

Upon initial observation, Zuo Wenquan's artworks possess an absurdity akin to "Waiting for Godot"—He holds onto the pleasant memories and sorrows of his past, awaiting a future whose arrival remains uncertain. Yet, in essence, he has intricately and densely scattered the seeds of hope across every part of his paintings. Discarding the conventional styles of academic painting, he adopted a more childlike, heartfelt approach. His artworks, echoing the pure and persistent qualities akin to Don Quixote, reflect the courageous and intense spirit typical of youth.

The two artists, despite their distinct backgrounds, artistic techniques, and conceptual directions, find a unique harmony with the ethos of Don Quixote. The character's valor, resolute nature, and enduring idealism, which remain unshaken in the face of external judgment or ridicule, continually bring him delight. This sincerity and steadfastness provide a form of solace to those grappling with the dichotomy of ideals and reality. These refined emotions are subtly interlaced within the artists' body of work, together creating an elegant portrayal of an untainted soul engaging with the complexities of the world.

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