From the Clouds
Strolling to the end of rivulet, surrounded by flourishing plants and hearing birds singing. Accumulating strength by resting next to the stream, watching clouds rising from the skyline. Neither gain nor loss will distract our calm heart. Warrior holding a slim bamboo and sitting beyond the exquisite Taihu stone, embodies the still of time and symbolizes the integrity of modesty as bamboo. “From the Clouds” not only illustrates a mindset of tranquility and the philosophy of conforming to nature, but also expresses a spirit of optimism and the beauty of calmness that the artist has been yearning for.
Ren Zhe
In 2019, Ren Zhe held a solo exhibition of sculpture called "Qi" in the Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao) of the Forbidden City in Beijing, becoming the first sculptor to hold a solo exhibition in the Forbidden City in the past 600 years. Another edition of From the Clouds was exhibited in the "Qi" exhibition, which testifies the importance of this work. Infinite Sprit of Allegiance (different edition) which was also exhibited in the Taimiao Exhibition broke the artist's auction record in 2021, at Sotheby's Hong Kong Modern Art Evening Auction, with a record price of HK$2,520,000.
《坐觀雲起》
行至水盡,佳木繁盛,聞鳥時鳴;臨溪而憩,坐是從容不迫積蓄力量;雲起之時,遙想塵寰種種,得失聚散,知其苦亦得其樂,觀雲便是千帆過盡後的豁然開朗。底座以經漫長歲月精心雕琢的太湖石為形,既具象了時間,又將雲飛風起的瞬間定格在觀者眼前。武士持竹,端坐於太湖石之上,象徵君子如竹般傲中有謙的氣節;雲卷雲舒,笑看人世浮沉,表達了藝術家順應自然、恬淡悠閒的超然心境,也反映出其豁達、積極向上的人生哲學。
任哲
二〇一九年,任哲在北京故宮太廟舉行名為「炁」的雕塑個人展覽,成為故宮六百年來首位在內舉行個展的在世雕塑家,本作之不同版數版本,為展出作品之一,足證本作重要性;同於太廟展覽展出的《望龍庭》(另一版數版本)於2021年香港蘇富比現代藝術晚拍以港幣2,520,000刷新藝術家拍賣紀錄。