VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Artists' Alliance of Sugar Land presents the exhibition Bon Voyage,  journey of life brush painting exhibition by local artist Lim Chung.

Bon Voyage
a poem by Lim
Chung Feb 27th, 2009

Every piece of my work is a journey,

A journey that has no beginning nor ending,

“Mobius strip” may explain this……………

Or may I say the word “gene”?

A gene from my Father.

I love travelling……..

Travel on a journey into the past, present and future.

I travelled into the past by books, music, arts and etc.

Via different transportations and my five senses, I see the present.

Through history and experiences, I visualize the future.

When I was very young,

I flied to China to pick up the four treasures of the study,

And tried to write and draw like literati.

With the brush and ink in monotone,

I wrote phrases from great philosophers.

Confucius had a lot of advice for me to be a good person.

Taoism taught me “To remain whole, be twisted;

To become straight, let yourself be bent;

And to become full, be hollow.”

Calligrapher Master Liu told me my calligraphy need to have bone and flesh.

Most of the traditional brush painting artists had something in common….

They were very wise men during their time.

But how come their paintings did not have perspective

And always floated on the air?

Travel beyond the time and space (????) was the answer.

The multi-culture in the Southeast Asia hinted to me that

There were people with different skin color living on the other side of the globe.

Yet, we had one thing in common,

We were all attracted towards the center of the sphere.

A picture came into my mind,

Lot of colorful push pins pinned into a highly textured ball.

When I was a teenager,

I sailed my boat to Europe……

I open my eyes to colors, light source, values, proportions and etc.

I finally understood the works of Michelangelo after I turned myself to Lord.

Rembrandt told me brush could be used in either way,

The bristle side and the wooden side,

So as to the texture of a surface;

The smooth and the textured.

He also taught me the word “Chiaroscuro” (contrast between light and dark),

That reminded me about “Tai-chi“(balance between Ying & Yang).

Yes, the push-pin picture came into my mind again.

Monet showed me how to put colors together in an impressionism way.

I was truly impressed when Picasso noted that his cubism were influenced by oriental art,

He had captured the spirit of oriental art in such a colorful way.

By then I understood the meaning of “Travel beyond the time and space” (????),

In a more colorful approach.

At Bauhaus in Germany,

I met Walter Gropius, an architect of his time.

We might have the same profession and vision in first place,

But our destination was a lot difference.

His calling was to merge the craftsmen and fine art into one,

Forms follow function is the new name.

Today, I am on my endless voyage to an unclear destiny.

I may stay in a cocoon for a while before

I could understand the meaning of

The bone and the flesh.

The wise butterfly console me;

Dear Voyager,

Suffering is beautiful.

You may wish the road is much shorter, yet,

Via suffering, the bone is strengthened, and

It will produce a beautiful and fragrance flesh.

Every piece of art is a journey,

Of someone who did it.

So is mine……….
 

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11 time: 1:00pm- 3:00pm On View: July 1 - August 3, 2009 time: 10:00am- 5:00pm (Monday-Friday) Sat and Sun by appointment only location: Artists' Alliance of Sugar Land 104 Industrial Blvd., Suite Q Sugar Land, TX 77478 (281) 565-0957.