Deng Mu solo exhibition “Spring Sprout”

｜Artist statement｜

"I studied Japanese painting at Hiroshima City University as an exchange student at Seinan University. I was moved by our school's approach to protecting and respecting Japanese art and culture, as well as our learning method of broadening your creative horizons through copying outstanding works of art, so I decided to enter our graduate school. I deepened my studies and research for a total of four years since my time as an exchange student, and completed graduate school this spring.

The works on display this time are divided into two themes: [Reproduction of current situation] and [Spring buds]. Current state reproduction involves copying and reproducing even the fading and deterioration of the original. For me, copying is the reproduction and innovation of traditional techniques, and it also has the meaning of summarizing my studies in Japan. Over the past four years, I have copied classical works on three different substrates: paper, silk, and wall painting. The reproductions on display this time are parts of Ito Jakuchu's ``Parrot'', ``Horyuji Mural Wall No. 6'', and ``Miroku Raigozu''. At the same time, in order to allow visitors to see the site and process of creating the work, we are also displaying a copy of the work at the beginning of the process, as well as test pieces used during the production stage.

[Spring Buds] is a series of works based on plants. We use a variety of base materials to create our pieces, including Japanese Kumohada hemp paper, Chinese multilayer vellum paper, silk, and wood boards. With the rapid development of society, we have become deeply aware that we have entered an era in which information is exploding. They often become passive due to aversion to complicated environments and fatigue due to the complexity of human relationships. That's why I cherish the small scenery I encounter in my daily life and want to express the refreshing and warm colors of nature, full of vitality, in Japanese paintings. At the same time, I am exploring ways to use mineral pigments to connect nature, the object of my painting, and myself, the creator.

I believe that this exhibition is not the result of my studies, but a new start. If copying is a ``seed,'' production can be said to be a ``spring sprout.'' We hope that through this exhibition, people who have lived through the year of the coronavirus pandemic will feel a new sense of strength.

Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my professor in the Japanese painting department at Hiroshima City University, who has mentored me for the past four years."

- Deng YAO