- 2873
Wang Tiande
Estimate
250,000 - 300,000 HKD
bidding is closed
Description
- Wang Tiande
- New Chinese Clothes III
- ink, copper powder and burn marks on paper, framed
executed in 2003
marked with one seal of the artist
marked with one seal of the artist
Provenance
Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, 2003.
A private American collection.
A private American collection.
Exhibited
Wang Tiande: Ink for the 21st Century, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, 2003, p. 18.
Condition
overall in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
"Making is a word to describe the process of mass production...Making means more than the definition given in the dictionary. The process of making has become the experience of art, at least for contemporary art."1
In his works, Wang Tiande carefully considers the cultural implications of his medium, composition and gesture. The artist then plays with these variables to intentionally create ambiguity and defy categorization. For example, Wang Tiande uses ink in respect to its importance as a symbol of traditional Chinese artistic culture. But his experimentation in composition and three-dimensional fabrication, very clearly departs from this tradition and brings his art into the contemporary realm. Art historian Wu Hung describes Wang Tiande as part of a group of young artists whose works "largely affiliate themselves with abstract and conceptual art, and demonstrate a tendency to separate 'ink' from 'brush'...In other words, one finds in these works the deliberate dominance of ink over other visual elements. By pushing the role of this traditional medium to such an extreme, the artists both substantiate an ancient art tradition and subvert it."2 Hovering between abstraction and representation, New Chinese Clothes III outlines a figure using heavy brushstrokes and illegible calligraphic characters that are literally burned into the paper. Although burnt rather than painted, the Chinese characters themselves evoke the poetic inscriptions found in most traditional landscape paintings, and yet they also ironically allude to a vanishing literary tradition in the contemporary era. This painting is similar to a painting of the same series in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
In his works, Wang Tiande carefully considers the cultural implications of his medium, composition and gesture. The artist then plays with these variables to intentionally create ambiguity and defy categorization. For example, Wang Tiande uses ink in respect to its importance as a symbol of traditional Chinese artistic culture. But his experimentation in composition and three-dimensional fabrication, very clearly departs from this tradition and brings his art into the contemporary realm. Art historian Wu Hung describes Wang Tiande as part of a group of young artists whose works "largely affiliate themselves with abstract and conceptual art, and demonstrate a tendency to separate 'ink' from 'brush'...In other words, one finds in these works the deliberate dominance of ink over other visual elements. By pushing the role of this traditional medium to such an extreme, the artists both substantiate an ancient art tradition and subvert it."2 Hovering between abstraction and representation, New Chinese Clothes III outlines a figure using heavy brushstrokes and illegible calligraphic characters that are literally burned into the paper. Although burnt rather than painted, the Chinese characters themselves evoke the poetic inscriptions found in most traditional landscape paintings, and yet they also ironically allude to a vanishing literary tradition in the contemporary era. This painting is similar to a painting of the same series in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
1 "Artist statement by Wang Tiande, 2004.7.8" Made by Tiande, Chambers Fine Art, New York, 2004, pp. 18-19.
2 Wu Hung, "Variations in Ink: A Dialogue with Zhang Yanyuan", Variations in Ink: Abstract Ink Paintings of Five Chinese Artists, Chambers Fine Art, New York, 2002, pp.3-4