Lu Xinjian - Infinite Lines

LU XINJIAN 陆

de sarthe GALLERY

新

建

INFINITE LINES

无

极

线

LU XINJIAN 陆

de sarthe GALLERY

新

建

Lu Xinjian spreads classic Chinese aesthetics with an urban twist across his canvases. Setting himself apart from other uninhibited poets, he devoutly portrays cities with a great amount of patience and restraint. His poetry is dependent on the city, the mapping of the stars, the coinciding of reality and reflection, and the view overlooking the emptiness of urban space.

Whether it is praises or desires one will find a natural rhythm in the midst of an orderly human arrangement.

On the surface of his sketches simple lines gradually branch out on their own terms, beginning to structure a complex city image, while also simplifying and harmonizing the image—transmitting a clear urban texture. The spread of colors not only highlights every section of the city center, but also blurs the boundaries and eliminates any sense of social class. The use of color and lines projects the artist's unique aesthetic and social concept, in which he has established an unprecedented representation of our cityscapes with an egalitarian atmosphere.

As someone with the adaptability to live in many cities of different countries, Lu’s new vision imbues each city he paints with a designated color. Contrary to popular methodologies, his vision is not simply determined by the environment, the dress code, nor the architecture, but rather bound by the universe and mystical astronomers which are sooner or later discovered, recognized and bestowed upon us. The artist’s subjectivity is undeniably determined by his senses, his rational expression, and the selective use of colors rendering a convincing depiction of the cities. Purple, orange, green and others on the color spectrum convincingly presents us with the grand view of human community, the ultimate miracle on this planet.

With his poetically abstract methodologies, Lu is also able to provide us with a concrete reality. The orderly lines on the paintings that confront us are neither of cold cities nor of cement forest, but rather a ceaseless promotion and construction of human emotions. Lu’s cryptographic-like images are allegories of the architectural and emotional essences of the landscapes built by the human body, thus connecting us to the Galaxy.

The concept of City DNA series began to materialize when Lu Xinjian first lived in a foreign country. As he was traversing across different places, trying to appreciate the different climates and to touch on other happy and stable realities, he realized that each city had its own signature whisper. This is the imprint and the reverberation of the birth of human settlement through the passage of time. It is immersed within city streets, neon lights, day and night, as each city is constructed by the collective, private, gleeful, and sorrowful memories of its citizens. Lu Xinjian used his design background as the foundation to build the city's emotional memory in his work, and then used abstract text to transform into imagery into symbols, re-combining them to comprise smaller and denser emotions. This process brings forth a richness of lines and colors that come to form a city’s whisper that is heard in Lu’s heart.

City DNA carries Lu Xinjian’s god-like perspective on the peace and tranquility instilled within cities. Although these cities are embedded on vast stretches of land, they remain silent unlike the City Stream series, where the artist repositions his perspective of a god staring down from above to that of a human standing perpendicular to the surface of buildings and bridges where they visibly pulsate. In this series the skies are clearly tainted by the vitality of the cities, and the cities lose their artificial attributes by merging with adjacent mountains and rivers. Yet, with Lu’s lines and rings motifs the cities are still regenerated into a digitalized portrait, capturing their rhythmic and mobile attributes that portray human movements restrained within constant drift. Once absorbed into this sense of an urban flow within the imagery, one realizes this dynamism is an integral part of a city’s vitality, but also buried deep in the landscape.

In contrast with City DNA, the artist no longer presents cities with a poetic undertone in the City Stream series. The ambient light distinctively outlines the structures of cities, suggesting human civilization’s ceaseless expansion and prosperity. Mega cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, Los Angeles, and Dubai undoubtedly embody their national spirits. However, without political or nationalistic pretense by removing the unique colours of each city they are no different in our visual perceptions. As driven by the economic climate, city landscapes are becoming more unified and their dynamic appearances are the result of radical changes in civilization. Where can our private and personal spirits, shaped by the lights and shadows of urban sites go? This is an unconscious value questioned by the artist in the context of globalization and urbanization. City Stream presents a hidden statement in front of the audience, treading outside the sense of comfort embodied in City DNA. Reflections marks the artist's return and extension of his poetic aesthetics. His yin-and-yang aesthetics expand from the lines in City DNA to the composition of images in Reflections.

The real and illusory comparisons make a seamless connection with the congruous and the incongruous on the surface. In this series the artist not only narrows the horizon but also lowers his perspective even further down, staring directly at individual buildings of cities— returning to tranquility. The iconic mountainous and garden urban landscape contrasted with a reflection in water, once again mediates the two extremes to a harmonious midpoint.

Lu Xinjian’s reference to the composition from Song Dynasty paintings has taught him the traditional Chinese aesthetics of reflecting endless extension within a limited space. Lu Xinjian reverts certain city elements back to a classical romanticism, as if Song Dynasty literati have projected their homely spirits into our modern realm. The artist provides a new perspective for the audience, positioning them from an illusory realm to see reality as if it was a mirage. What is considered real is only distant hope.

Lu was born in Jiangsu in the late seventies. He graduated from the Nanjing Art Institute and then was admitted to the Design Academy Eindhoven for academic training. In 2006, he received his M.F.A. from the Hanze University of Groningen (Frank Mohr Institute) in the Interactive Media and Environmental department. Subsequently, he taught at Yeungnam University in South Korea for two years. By virtue of his design background and teaching experience, he had a breakthrough in the field of Chinese contemporary art while deliberately avoiding the trends of making political statements in his paintings. He draws from his professional background and skills to control the spread of his images with considerable finesse, in order to make the complex lines more compact and orderly, which constitutes a minimalistic approach.

It is noteworthy that all of Lu’s works use real images. Works from the City DNA series required the use of Google maps, while works from City Stream and Reflections were captured from instant shots of the cities. Even if Lu Xinjian adopted a rather waning poetic approach to his abstract techniques, he never intended to change the real world that he captured in any geographical or temporal sense, instead he retained the city on the planet as it is. In history, every moment of existence, whether remodeled or translated, is a visual remnant that pays tribute toward life itself.

-- Ju Baiyu

陆新建在画布上铺陈开来的具有中国阴阳美学的图像，是带着平均律的城市礼歌。区别于那些豪 放的诗人，他抱持着极大的耐心，克制而虔诚地为城市描绘诗意。这诗意取决于城市与星空的映照， 真实与倒影的重合，在城市空旷的上方自由俯瞰的目光，既是赞美，也是渴望，在人类的秩序里 去发现自然天成的韵律。 在陆新建的平面绘画上，简单线条密布排列逐渐形成自我生长，构成一个繁杂的城市图景，又由 繁至简到画面的和谐一致，透射出清晰的城市肌理，画面的色彩平均使得每一部分都成为中心， 它的均匀分布使城市模糊了边界，消弥了社会阶层的元素，色彩和线条的运用既是艺术家的独特 美学也是所持社会观念的投射，我们的城市图景被艺术家人为设立的景观突然前所未有的统一起 来，即是在一种公平之中。

游历世界的陆新建有在多个国家城市生活的经验，如同有人用气味，温度去感知环境，陆新建的 视觉会日渐明确地赋予城市以一种具体的色彩，当然那绝不是简单的由城市环境或人群衣着甚至 建筑群像去设定，它犹如宇宙与天文学家的带着神秘主义的某种约定，迟早被发现，迟早被认知， 迟早被赋予，而艺术家主观的赋予即带着不容置疑，由他的感官决定，由他的理性表达，色彩对 城市的分配变得具有说服力，置身于他的紫色，橙色，绿色等多种霓虹中，确信那是人类共同创 造的群居的盛景，是这个星球上的奇迹。

陆新建用饱含诗意的抽象方式却为了我们提供了一个具象的现实，在这些有序的线条下，不是冰 冷的城市水泥森林，而是人类情感的推进与建造，是生生不息，陆新建提供的图像密码既是建筑 表征，又是情感肌理，是人类亲手搭建的大地景观，与宇宙星河遥相呼应。 《城市基因》的创作方式始于陆新建在异国他乡孤独的艺术生涯，当他在各地辗转迁徙，试图在 城市的夹缝中去体味温度，去触碰一种幸福和安稳的现实可能，发现每座城市都自有它的私语， 那是人类生于厮的印迹与回响，它籍由时间之道界入，浸入在城市的街道，霓虹，日与夜，每座 城都是由私人的悲欢组成集体的记忆。陆新建用设计的修习背景为城市的情感记忆背书，以抽象 的文字转化成图像符号，重新组合成细细密密的情绪，呈现的画面自成一种斑斓，而那线条色彩 即是他心中对城市的咏叹。 《城市基因》的抽象画面带有艺术家以上帝视角赋予城市的祥和与宁静，它们有序地镶嵌在在广 袤大地上但保持着一种静默，但到《城市经纬》的系列中，艺术家则让视角从神至人，下降至一 个风景平台，楼宇桥梁的脉落清晰可见，天际也被城市的活力所晕染，城市似乎失去了人工属性 而是与自然山河浑成一体，但在那惯用的直线和环型的运用下，城市又似数码化的生成，它带有 节奏性，流动性，人们不得不在城市时间的河丛中漂流，在这样的图像中，城市生活的主动性被 消解了，一旦踏入这样的河流，既成为城市活力的一部分，又被湮没于风景中。 在《城市经纬》的系列，艺术家不再提供《城市基因》中那带有诗性的迷题， 流光溢彩明确了城 市的轮廓，暗示着这里正在储存人类永不衰败的繁荣，上海，北京，巴黎，洛杉矶，迪拜这样的 超级城市无疑代表着他们所处的国家精神，但在这样的霓虹线条的城市特征下又去掉了政治化或 民族主义，除了感官色彩之外，它们看上去毫无异处，由经济环境决定的城市图景正在趋向一致， 在活力与动感的表象下是文明的激进变迁，而人类私有的，个性化的精神生活在这样的光影塑造 的城市河丛中该何去何从？这是艺术家在全球化和城市化进程语境下的一种不自觉的价值诘问。 《城市经纬》在观众面前悬置了一个隐藏的命题，它突破了《城市基因》所体现的安逸感。

《倒影》是艺术家于诗意上的回归和延展，阴阳美学从基因的线条中扩大到《倒影》的整体画面 结构里，真实与虚幻的比对做了无缝联结，从画面上看它们既是相和又是出离，在这个系列中， 艺术家不但收窄了视野，视角也再次向下挪移，凝视单独的城市建筑，一切回归了静谧。标志性 的城市建筑如山峦，如园林，与水面倒影的相映，再次以平均律构成和谐的两极，艺术家参考了 宋代绘画的结构布局，同时汲取了中国传统美学在有限空间中反映的绵延无际。陆新建将城市元 素回归到一种带着古典特质的浪漫主义中，如同宋代的文人般将对家园的精神意义投射在现代世 俗。艺术家提供的视角将观众置于水面，置于虚幻去观望真实，而真实又如海市蜃楼般不可触及， 这所谓真实的部分，仅供遥望与希冀。 陆新建于七十年代末期生于江苏，从南京艺术学院毕业后又进入荷兰埃因霍芬设计学院 (Design Academy Eindhoven) 进修，2006 年他取得格罗宁根汉斯大学 (Frank Mohr Institute) 的交 互媒体与环境专业的硕士学位，曾在韩国的岭南大学 (Yeungnam University) 任教两年。由于 他的设计学位背景和任教经历，他突破了时下中国当代艺术领域中观念先行的潮流，并且在他的 精致图像下，有意避免了时髦的政治性。他首先放任了意象的蔓延接着用他的专业背景和技能做 了优雅准确的控制，这样才能使得画面紧凑有序，并且由繁杂线条构成了极简。 值得注意的是他所有的作品画面都是真实存在的，甚至《城市基因》系列中必须借助谷歌地图，《城 市经纬》与《倒影》皆是撷取了城市的瞬间片段，尽管他诗意阑珊地使用了抽象的技法，但他绝 无意去改变从真实世界中的获得，从地理和时间的意义上，他存留了城市在星球上，在历史中， 某一片刻的存在，既是重塑，也是转译，这种视觉上的存留，即是我们对生命与生活本身的致意。 －－鞠白玉

City DNA - Beijing No.7 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 400 cm 360,000 RMB / 53,200 USD

CITY DNA

City DNA - Paris No.4 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 400 cm 360,000 RMB / 53,200 USD

City DNA - Tate Modern 2013 Acrylic on canvas 130 x 130 cm 120,000 RMB / 17,400 USD

City Stream - Beijing No.3 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 400 cm 360,000 RMB / 53,200 USD

CITY STREAM

City Stream - Dubai No.2 2016 Acrylic on canvas 250 x 200 cm 210,000 RMB / 30,400 USD

City Stream - Eiffel Tower 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 320 cm 310,000 RMB / 45,000 USD

City Stream - Hong Kong 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 300 cm 310,000 RMB / 45,000 USD

City Stream - Los Angeles 2016 Acrylic on canvas 145 x 205 cm 155,000 RMB / 22,500 USD

City Stream - Shanghai No.8 2016 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 300 cm 360,000 RMB / 43,500 USD

Reflections - HKCEC No.2 2016 Acrylic on canvas Diam. 200 cm 180,000 RMB / 26,000 USD

Reflections - Hong Kong 2016 Acrylic on canvas 300 x 1200 cm 900,000 RMB / 130,400 USD

Reflections - Weiming Lake 2016 Acrylic on canvas 150 x 200 cm 155,000 RMB / 22,500 USD

Lu Xinjian 1977 born in Jiangsu, China Currently lives and works in Shanghai, China 2000 Computer Graphic Design Department, Nanjing Arts Institute, Nanjing, China 2005 IM Postgraduate Department, Design Academy Eindhoven, Eindhoven, Netherlands 2006 MFA, Interactive Media and Environments at the Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen, Netherlands Solo Exhibitions Infinite Lines, de Sarthe Gallery, Beijing, China City DNA / Jiang Nan, Matthew Liu Fine Arts, Shanghai, China Constellation, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China City Stream, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China City DNA IV, Hua Gallery, London, UK Lu Xinjian: Beautiful Encounters – Cities and Poems, 117 Contemporary Art Center, Ningbo, China Wired Space, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China 2012 Invisible Poem II, F2 Gallery, Beijing, China Invisible Poem, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China 2011 City DNA III, Fabien Fryns Fine Art, Los Angeles, USA City DNA II, F2 Gallery, Beijing, China 2010 City DNA, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China 2017 2016 2015 2014

Selected Group Exhibitions 2016 Eja-Xinjian, Beetsterzwaag, Netherlands 2015 NULNU, Nieuw Dakota Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2014 ARTificial Garden, Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China The Temporary, ARTicle Gallery, Birmingham, UK 2013 I Love Shanghai, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China Filter The Public, Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China 2012 Distance and Dimension: Fernando Bordoni & Lu Xinjian , ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China Re-animators, Meulensteen Gallery, New York, USA The Year of Dragon: Chen Hangfeng & Lu Xinjian, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, Canada 2011 High 5, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai, China 2010 Basic Forms by Stella Art Foundation, 2nd Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Moscow, Russia 2009 Resemblance & Difference, Daegu Art Center, Daegu, Korea Art Events 2014 2013 2011 2010

City / Neighbor, Adidas Originals, Shanghai, China Expressions Of My City, Lane Crawford, Shanghai, China Absolut Blank, Absolut Vodka, Shanghai, China City DNA, Maison Pourcel by Jacques & Laurent Pourcel, Shanghai, China

陆新建 1977

年出生于中国江苏宜兴 现生活和工作于中国上海

2000 2005 2006

南京艺术学院计算机图形设计系本科学位，南京，中国 Design Academy Eindhoven 产品与室内设计系研究生院识别，埃因霍温，荷兰 Frank Mohr Institute 互动媒体和环境系艺术硕士，格罗宁根，荷兰 个展

2017 2016 2015 2014

2012 2011 2010

《无极线》，德萨画廊，北京，中国 《城市基因 / 江南》，德玉堂画廊，上海，中国 《星座》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 《城市经纬》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 《城市基因 4》，HUA 画廊，伦敦，英国 《美丽的邂逅：城市与诗歌》，宁波文化馆 117 当代艺术中心，宁波，中国 《天马行空》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 《隐诗 2》，F2 画廊，北京，中国 《隐诗 1》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 《城市基因 3》，Fabien Fryns Fine Art 画廊，洛杉矶，美国 《城市基因 2》，F2 画廊，北京，中国 《城市基因》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 主要群展

2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

BIOGRAPHY

《Eja – 新建》，Beetsterzwaag，荷兰 《NULNU》，Nieuw Dakota 画廊，阿姆斯特丹，荷兰 《艺作花园》，上海国际金融中心 ，上海，中国 《The Temporary》，ARTicle 画廊，伯明翰，英国 《我爱上海》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 《滤镜》，SWFC，上海，中国 《距离与空间：Fernando Bordoni & 陆新建》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 《Re-animators》，Meulensteen 画廊，纽约，美国 《The Year of Dragon：陈杭峰 & 陆新建》，Gallery Jones，温哥华，加拿大 《High5》，ART LABOR 画廊，上海，中国 Basic Forms by Stella Art Foundation，莫斯科，俄罗斯 《Resemblance & Difference》，大邱艺术中心，大邱广域市，韩国 艺术项目

2014 2013 2011 2010

《城市 / 邻里》，阿迪达斯三叶草，上海，中国 《Expressions Of My City》，连卡佛，上海，中国 《Absolut Blank》，绝对伏特加，上海，中国 《城市基因》，Maison Pourcel by Jacques & Laurent Pourcel，上海，中国

de sarthe gallery 香港中环雪厂街16 号西洋会所大厦8楼 20/F Global Trade square, 21 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong T. 852 2167 8896 | F. 852 2167 8893 | E. hongkong@desarthe.com

de sarthe Beijing 北京市朝阳区草场地艺术区328-d 328-d, Caochangdi, Chaoyang District, 100015 Beijing, China T. +86 010-84182441 | E. beijing@desarthe.com

www.desarthe.com

de sarthe gallery