Exhibition

In Search Of Harmony: Visionaries of Yunnan Chen Li & Gao Xiang

9 May 2022 – 14 May 2022

Regular hours

Mon, 09 May
11:00 – 18:30
Tue, 10 May
11:00 – 18:30
Wed, 11 May
11:00 – 18:30
Thu, 12 May
11:00 – 18:30
Fri, 13 May
11:00 – 18:30
Sat, 14 May
11:00 – 13:00

Free admission

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The Coningsby Gallery

London, United Kingdom

Address

Travel Information

  • Buses: 24, 10, 390, 134
  • Tube: Goodge Street tube station on the Northern line
  • Euston Station is the nearest train station
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A unique opportunity to see two exceptional talents from Yunnan in the centre of London, to feel the harmony and to raise your spirits

About

Harmony is hard to come by. One place that seems to get it right is China’s remote Yunnan Province. Once so isolated that even Chinese visitors experienced culture shock, Yunnan transformed within the span of a single lifetime into a hub of artistic expression and a place where past, present, and over 40 million people and numerous ethnic minorities – each with their own belief systems, language, and customs – co-exist in peace.

Balancing prestigious universities, luxury shopping centres and steel-and-glass highrises with traditional wooden houses, ancient Buddhist temples, and 19th century Christian churches, Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, is a study in contradictions whose imperfect balance demands continuous recalibration.

Rising to the task is Kunming’s vibrant artistic community for many of whom the region’s stunning natural landscape, Buddhist philosophy, and distance from the centres of politics inspires a more introspective expression.

Among them are Chen Li and Gao Xiang – two childhood friends with compelling and very different perspectives to harmony and balance.

CHEN LI is inspired by nature. His work is intuitive, full of emotion, rendered in a style best described as dynamic harmony, combining freedom of movement with a deep sense of peace. A dual master of oil painting and a unique Chinese woodblock printing technique perfected in Yunnan, his work was acquired and exhibited by The British Museum as an exceptional example of Chinese modern art.

GAO XIANG is inspired by history and mythology. Conceptual yet full of soul, he questions opposites, finding balance in duality – past and present, dreams and reality, the perception of truth. A multi-disciplinary artist, he speaks through symbols where the image of a horse plays a prominent role. His works are exhibited by leading museums in Asia and Europe and commissioned by the Grand Palais in Paris.

The exhibition features a selection of artworks by Gao Xiang and Chen Li, side-by-side for the first time since we curated solo shows for each artist.

From our Visitor’s Book:

“When I see his paintings, I know everything will be ok”

(Chen Li solo show, 2019)

"So beautiful. The horses look as if they have souls.”

(Gao Xiang solo show, 2017)

What to expect? Toggle

CuratorsToggle

Katrine Levin Galleries

Katrine Levin Galleries

Exhibiting artistsToggle

Chen Li

Gao Xiang

Taking part

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